Cursed
by Petalouda85
Summary: Jack Frost is cursed with sleeping death by an mysterious enemy. And now the Guardians, with the help of Mother Nature's daughter, Paro, and their newest member, Rapunzel, must race against the clock to cure Jack before its too late.
1. Prologue

******This is the first Fanfiction I have ever ever written so don't be suprised if it absolutely sucks. This chapter is really short but the next few will be a lot longer. Enjoy, I guess**  
**  
****Prologue**

"This curse is pathetic," whispered a cold, eerie voice in the shadows, "why do you insist on this curse? There are plenty more that I can conjure, much more gruesome and painful than the one you choose" There was a minute of silence before a reply came.

"Because this curse is incurable and I need a guarantee that he will die." replied a tall dark man, dressed completely in black, his golden eyes flaming with hatred and revenge.

The voice in the shadows scoffed, "No curse is incurable. Well, used to be. The spirits of Healing have been unable to cure curses or other ailments for about 600 years."

"And all because of one little blunder done by one spirit" The dark man smirked

After a moment of silence, the voice said "Very well. I will give you the curse but the price will be high. What do you offer me in return for this curse?" The voice chuckled, knowing that the dark man would never be able to meet the price he desired.

The dark man simply smiled, showing his pointed teeth, and pulled out a glass bottle from his black cloak. The bottle was filled with a dark gray mist.

The voice laughed "That's all you have to offer me!? A bottle that captures souls?" the voice continued to laugh while the dark man did not stir.

"No," the dark man replied. The laughing stopped, "I offer you 7 of these bottle filled with the souls of the Guardians of the Summer, Fall and their newly recruited Spring and the souls of the Guardians of Childhood."

More silence, longer than the ones before. The voice finally said, "Very well, I accept your offer." and out of the shadows came a hand, a hand of red skin with long black nails, covered with cuts, bruises, and large boils. And in this hand was a bright, red apple. The dark man smiled and took the apple.

"Thank you, Lucifer"

The hand disappeared back into the shadows, "But, be warned. If you fail to give me what you offered, I will take your soul instead"

The dark man smiled, "I won't fail. I guarantee it."

"Good"

The dark man turned to leave but was interrupted by the voice.

"Before you leave, tell me who you intent to kill with this curse."

The dark man turned around and said with an evil smile,

"Jack Frost"


	2. Chapter 1

**First chapter! This chapter is waaaaaaay longer than the prologue, so be prepared for a longer read. Quick note, all the characters are the same as in the movies except for Rapunzel, Hiccup, and North. Rapunzel has NO magic hair and her hair is about waist length, Hiccup looks about 19 (That's not the only thing that's different), and North looks younger than in the movie (Why, you'll find out later in the story). This is more introductory, so you'll be meeting a lot of characters, so don't be surprised if it gets really boring.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.**

**Chapter #1**

"Will you, Rapunzel, vow to protect the seasons and to watch over the children of the world, to guard them with your life, their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams for they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be"

Rapunzel turned to look over her shoulder at the people standing behind her, looking for approval. As she looked at them each of them gave a nod. First was Bunny aka the Easter Bunny, a 7-foot tall Pooka, then came Sandy aka Sandman, a short man made completely out of golden sand, and Tooth aka the Tooth Fairy, half-human and half-hummingbird. Those three made up the Guardians of Childhood.

Standing next to the guardians of Childhood, are the Guardians of the Seasons, whom Rapunzel was joining. Although they are of a different group, the Guardians of the Seasons also protect children like the Guardians of Childhood do. Because of this, the Guardians of the Seasons have more than one center. And they call themselves "the Seasons."

First came Merida, a tall, fiery girl with red hair, blue eyes, carrying a bow on her shoulder and a quiver around her waist. She is the guardian of Summer and Bravery. To Merida's left was Hiccup, about 6 feet tall, some muscle, a prosthetic right leg just below the knee, brown hair and green eyes and is the Guardian of Fall and Knowledge. He is the oldest of the Seasons and the most mysterious as he never talks about his life before becoming a guardian. And, lastly, to Hiccup's left was Jack, the Guardian of Winter and Fun. Rapunzel felt her head turn red and her heart beat faster as she looked at him. He was tall, shorter than Hiccup but taller than Merida, very pale skin, white hair, and mesmerizing blue eyes.

He smiled at Rapunzel when she turned around to face the man in front of her. His name was North aka Santa Claus and was a tall, big and muscular man with dark brown hair, that had many streaks of white and gray in it. He spoke with a heavy Russian accent.

Smiling, she replied to North, "I will"

"Congratulations, Rapunzel, for you are now and for evermore, a Guardian"

Then a wave of cheers, laughter, hugs, and pats on the back hit Rapunzel from behind. They were all so thrilled to have a new guardian in their midst, they even took the liberty of organize a party for her. Somehow, in the middle of the party, Rapunzel found herself in her room, by the window, breathing in the cold air of the North Pole, feeling slightly light-headed.

"Rapunzel? Are you alright?" asked a voice with a heavy Scottish accent.

Rapunzel gasped slightly and spun around to the source of the voice and Merida standing in her doorway, placing her hand on her chest.

"Merida! You scared me!"

"Sorry. It's just that I saw you leave the party and I wanted to make sure you were alright." Merida said as she entered the room and sat down on Rapunzel's bed.

"Oh," Rapunzel said, running her fingers through her long golden blonde hair, "I was feeling a little light-headed so I came here to get some fresh air but I'm fine now." Rapunzel closed to window behind her and sat down next to Merida, looking at her. "But thanks for checking on me."

"You're welcome," Merida replied with a smile which melted to a mischievous grin and said almost sing-song like, "Sooooooo, when are you going tell him?"

Rapunzel blushed and looked down at her feet, "T-tell who what?" she asked nervously but she knew who Merida was talking about.

"Oh come on, white hair, pale skin, blue eyes, works with the staff. I'm talking at about Jack of course! When are you going to tell him you like him?" she said pretty loudly, as if she wanted the whole world to know.

"Shhhhhhh! Not so loud please." Rapunzel said in a whisper, standing up to slam to door shut, in fear someone had heard Merida. Slowly, Rapunzel walked back to the bed and sat back down, "I will tell him, soon" Rapunzel said looking at Merida, trying to sound confident but feeling the opposite.

Merida gave Rapunzel a look of disbelief," Right, and 'soon' for you mean 100 years from now. Come on, Rapunzel! You're gonna have to tell him sometime soon. What's stopping you?"

"Why do you care about how I feel about Jack? You have never felt anything like this!" Rapunzel snapped. Merida was taken back by this sudden burst of anger and Rapunzel could have sworn there were tears forming in Merida's eyes but the tears never came. Feeling ashamed, Rapunzel looked down at her lap and her hands, feeling tears form in her eyes but she forced them back.

"What's stopping you from telling him?" Merida asked again, more gently this time, completely ignoring what Rapunzel had said. Rapunzel willed herself not to cry but it was of no use as silent tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"I don't know," she said in a whisper, her voice breaking," I guess it's because I'm scared. I'm scared he will reject me, abandon me, or hurt me"

Merida slid off the bed and kneeled in front of Rapunzel, holding Rapunzel's hands in her own.

"Punz, listen to me. I've known you for a long time. You are my best friend, the greatest anyone could possibly ask for and I know you trust me with your life, so trust me when I say this," Merida lifted Rapunzel head with one hand and looked straight into her eyes, " I know how you suffered in your previous life when it came to men but just because they hurt you doesn't mean Jack will. He's not that kind of guy. He is too kind to do that." Merida cupped Rapunzel's head in her hand, still looking straight into her eyes." He would never _ever _hurt you, partly because I will give him hell if he does" Merida said as she let go of Rapunzel's head. Rapunzel laughed a little at that last statement and wiped away the tears on her cheeks as Merida got up and sat back down next to her friend

"But when should I tell him?"

"Hmmm," Merida frowned her forehead in deep thought," I'll tell you what. I'll make a deal with you. I have 2 weeks of summer left. If you tell Jack before I return from those 2 weeks, then I'll give you 2 extra weeks of spring next year and my dessert for two-three…. five months. What do you say?" Merida held out her hand to Rapunzel, smiling a little. Rapunzel looked at Merida's hand then back at Merida's face.

"And if I don't?" Rapunzel asked slowly.

"Then I get two extra weeks of summer and I get your dessert for five months. Now, do we have a deal?" Rapunzel looked uncertain for a moment but then placed her hand in Merida's

"Deal"

"Deal. Now let's get back to the party. It's your party and I don't think the others would appreciate it if you didn't show." Merida said as she pulled Rapunzel from her bed and started to walk back to the party, pulling Rapunzel with her.

"But how should I tell him?"

Merida suddenly stopped walking and placed her hands on Rapunzel's shoulders.

"Rapunzel, you are the Guardian of Spring and Creativity now. Do something creative with a twist of spring in it. But remember, no flowers. Jack's not very fond of them, for obvious reasons. But don't worry about it now because now is a time to party." When she finished, she ran down the hallway and just before she turned around the corner, she yelled, "Come on, Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel, shaking her head, walked down the hallway back to the party, feeling very nervous about the deal she just made.


	3. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! I have a long weekend so I might update again this week which will make my good friend STCameron1124 really happy. I'm not kidding, she was close to begging for me to update. (Ok not really :D) And read her story **_**A Familiar Face**_**, it's good. Well, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. The picture isn't mine. It belongs to retrochick80 on **

**Chapter #2**

_One week later_

Very early in the morning, Rapunzel was sitting alone in her room staring at an empty canvas in front of her, wondering which of the sketches she made this week she should paint on it. After a few minutes, she made a decision and started to paint. Around the noon, Rapunzel decided to take a break. She stood up and looked at her work, smiling proudly. On the painting were the Seasons, standing next to each other, all with an object or person important to them and behind each person was a tree but each tree looked different. On the far left was Rapunzel with a green chameleon perched on her head, her tree covered white blossoms. Next to Rapunzel was Merida with a bow in her hand and a quiver around her waist. Her tree was a fully grown adult tree. After Merida came Hiccup with his pet dragon, Toothless, flying in the background, his tree had a mix of red, yellow and brown leaves. And on the far right was Jack holding a shepherd's crook in his right hand, his tree was barren and covered with snow. Rapunzel smiled again and turned around to go out of her room but someone was already standing in the door frame. It was Jack.

"Your paintings just keep getting better and better." Jack said as he walked into her room and stopped in front of her painting to get a better look. Rapunzel could feel herself turn red at the compliment. She quickly looked in her mirror, checking if she looked alright. Her hair was a bit messy and her face was as red as a tomato but other than that she looked fine.

"What's it supposed to be?" Jack asked with a mischievous smile. Rapunzel could easily tell he was joking, other wise he wouldn't be smiling. Rapunzel walked towards Jack and stood beside him, her heart pounding so loudly, she was scared he was going to hear it.

"It's a painting of the four of us together. It took me all morning but it's only a rough draft, though."

"A rough draft? Really? It's too good to be a rough draft." Jack looked at Rapunzel, her heart starting to pound harder and faster "Finish it. It'll look amazing." With that, he turned around and headed back for the door but when he was by the door frame, Rapunzel called out.

"Jack!" He turned around.

"Yes?"

Rapunzel opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She had dreamed about this moment for while but now that it's here, she was terrified. She just stood there, not a single muscle moving, with her mouth open slightly. After a few seconds of silence, she managed to say,

"Thanks."

Jack gave her a questioning look at first but he smiled sweetly

"Your welcome." with that he turned around and left Rapunzel alone. She waited for a few minutes to make sure he was gone, closed the door quietly, and then she exploded in silent anger. She pulled her hair, dug her nails into her cheeks, and threw whatever she could get her hands on. Her anger ended when she kicked her bed, which resulted in nothing but pain. Crying slightly she sat down on the bed, her hand running through her hair, giving it the occasional tug.

"That was the moment I was waiting for!" she thought angrily, "That one moment I was waiting for and I ruined it! Gah! Why is this so difficult!?"

She sat there for a few more minutes, forcing herself to stop crying. When she finally did, she looked at the painting and decided she didn't feel like painting anymore. She slowly put her paint and paint brushes away The rest of her afternoon was spent on a few things. She played some music, attempting to write a song, and cleaning the mess she made in her anger. She had occasional stepped out of her room to get something to eat or drink but the rest of her time were spent locked in her room. Around 6 pm, she collapsed onto her bed and just stared at the ceiling. She laid there in silence for a while when suddenly there was knocking on the door. Rapunzel groaned and slowly got out of bed and opened the door slightly, looking through the opening. It was Merida.

"Merida!" She opened the door and Merida entered. Rapunzel noticed she was carrying a pouch in her hands, "What are you doing here? You're not due back for another week."

"You honestly think I don't know that." She was talking so fast Rapunzel could hardly make out what she was saying. "Wait, that's not important. I'm here because I have something for you." Merida sat down on the bed and patted on the spot beside her. Rapunzel walked over to Merida and sat down. Merida handed Rapunzel the pouch and nudged her head a little. Rapunzel opened the pouch and in it was an apple. She took it out and gasped a little. It was a large, fully grown apple. It's skin was bright red and not a single bruise was visible. Rapunzel was smitten by it's beauty.

"It's gorgeous! Where did you get it?"

"I bought it form an old, beggar man. He said that finding apples such as this one are very, very rare. So I bought it, thinking that maybe you could give to Jack."

"Hm. Does Jack even like apples?"

"I don't know. There's only one way to find out." Merida smiled and gave Rapunzel a pat on the back before standing up, "I got to go, Rapunzel. I still have some things to do." She leaned very close and whispered into Rapunzel's ear,

"Tell him."

Before Rapunzel could reply, Merida was gone. Rapunzel looked back at the apple, an smiled confidently.

"I'll give it him. Tonight."

_A few minutes before 10 pm_

Rapunzel had never stayed up this late before but she was determined to give to apple to Jack before she went to bed. She hadn't seen him since noon and was beginning to wonder if he even was at the North Pole. She sighed deeply, looked at the apple she was holding, and turned around to enter her room, in defeat, when Jack suddenly appeared in the hallway.

"Rapunzel? Why are you still up? You're usually asleep at this time" Jack said as he walked towards her, his voice hinting worry.

"Oh, I-I couldn't sleep." Rapunzel replied, her heart starting to pound wildly. Jack stopped right in front of her and looked into her green eyes, his own fraught with worry and concern.

"Go to sleep, Rapunzel. You need it." Jack reached down and touched Rapunzel's hand as a sign of support but the touch of his hand send a shiver down her spine, from both the coldness of his hand and the feeling of absolute joy. Jack looked down at her hands and noticed the apple.

"What have you got there?" Rapunzel tore here gaze away from Jack and looked at her hand, moving her hands to reveal the apple.

"I-It's an apple. Merida came by this evening and gave it to me but I don't want it," Rapunzel took a deep breath and held her hands out to Jack, "Here, you can have it."

Jack looked at the apple and gave a nervous chuckle,

"I've never tried an apple before."

"Well, one way to find out if you like it or not" Rapunzel kept holding her hands out to Jack, who looked hesitant.

"Will at least you try it then?" Rapunzel tried to sound as innocent and sweetly as she possibly could. She hesitated for a moment about what she was going to say next but she kept talking,

"Will you try it for me?"

Jack looked at her for a moment and replied,

"Alright, I'll try it." Jack took the apple gently out of Rapunzel's hands and smiled.

"Thanks, Rapunzel." He smiled at Rapunzel and walked to his room, which was right next to Rapunzel's room. At the door, he looked and smiled again.

"Good night, Rapunzel." He entered his room and closed the door. Rapunzel would have screamed with joy if it wasn't so late. Instead, smiled brightly went into her room, closed the door and laid down in her bed. She quickly glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It read 9:59 pm. She closed her eyes and soon dozed.

THUD!

**Cliffhanger! Cause that's how I roll. Review, favourite, follow or just do your own thing. **


	4. Chapter 3

**God, I love long weekends! I was close to writing non-stop this weekend. From now on I'm going to be updating on Wednesdays and Sundays. Anyway, what was the thud? Read the chapter and find out.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or the picture.**

**Chapter #3**

Rapunzel was suddenly wide awake by the sound. She glanced at her clock. It read 10:00 pm. She groaned a little and got out of her bed to investigate the sound. She went out into the hallway and looked in both directions. Nothing.

"The thud was nearby." Rapunzel thought. She walked to Jack's room door and knocked.

"Jack?" No response. She knocked again, more loudly this time.

"Jack?" Still no response. She opened the door. Jack lay on the ground in a heap, unconscious, the apple she gave him in his left hand. There was one bite in it. Rapunzel gasped and immediately crouched down and placed her hand on his cheek, hoping to get some response but nothing came. Beginning to panic a little, she checked for a pulse and any signs of breathing. There was none. Tears welled up in her eyes and she screamed.

"NORTH! HICCUP! SOMEBODY! ANYBOBY, HELP!"

She ran into the hallway, looking frantically around her for any sign of life, tears rolling down her cheek like a waterfall. It took a few seconds but down the hallway a door opened and slammed shut and Hiccup came walking down the hall, half-dressed, trying to put a shirt on.

"Rapunzel? What's going on?" he said while yawning. Rapunzel tried to say something but the tears were blocking her voice. Instead she pointed into Jack's room while downstairs, in the workshop, they could hear North yelling, "what is going on!?" Hiccup ignored the yell and looked into Jack's room.

"Oh my goodness!" He crouched down next to Jack, his face filled with worry and shock. He looked at Rapunzel. "Rapunzel, what happened?" He hadn't noticed the apple. Through the tears, Rapunzel managed to croak an answer.

"I-I don't know. I-I heard t-this thud and I-I came to check on Jack t-to see if he was alright and if he h-heard the thud too but I found him like this." The tears began to roll down her cheek even more as she placed hands over her eyes.

"What is going on here?" asked North as he approached Rapunzel. He sounded angry. Rapunzel looked at him. He was fully dressed, unlike Hiccup, but he was just as tired as Hiccup. North looked into Jack's room. He went in and crouched beside Hiccup.

"What happened to him?" North checked for a pulse but just like Rapunzel he felt nothing. He then noticed the apple in Jack's hand and took it to get a closer look.

"What's this doing here?" He looked at Hiccup, who shrugged, then he looked at Rapunzel. "What is this doing here?" He asked again.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to say something but her tears were blocking her voice again. North gave her a stern look and Rapunzel managed to say in a whisper,

"I-I gave it to Jack. Merida came by t-this evening and gave it to m-me but I-I didn't want it. I-I didn't kno-" was all Rapunzel managed to say as tears started rolling down her cheeks again. She put her hands to her face and started to sob quietly. She heard movement and then arms wrapping around her and a hand placed on her head. She removed her hands and cried into Hiccup's chest.

"Shhh. It's alright, Rapunzel," said Hiccup in calm and soothing voice, "It's not your fault. You didn't know this would happen. It's not your fault. Just calm down."

After a few deep and shuddering breaths, Rapunzel calmed down and the crying subsided, although occasional tears still escaped her eyes. Hiccup took a step back and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Better?" Rapunzel nodded. Hiccup smiled and looked at North. "What do we do, north?" North looked at Hiccup and stood up.

"Hiccup, Rapunzel, you two take Jack to the globe. I'm going to contact the guardians." North walked out of the room and looked at Rapunzel, placing his hand on her shoulder and handing her the apple. "Make sure nothing else happens to Jack." Rapunzel nodded and entered the room with Hiccup while North headed down the hallway. Hiccup kneeled down next to Jack and picked him up, carrying him down to hallway towards the globe, bridal style. Rapunzel followed closely behind him.

Soon they reached the globe. North had pulled out a couch and motioned to Hiccup. Hiccup went to the couch and laid Jack down on it, looking very worried. Rapunzel looked at Jack and then turned around to look at the globe, and gasped slightly. It was spewing out red light and red light meant it was very urgent. Rapunzel turned her gaze back to Jack. Within 5 minutes, the guardians showed up. First Bunny, then Tooth and lastly Sandy.

"This better be a good reason," Bunny complained in his Australian accent, "But I swear if this is another 'I feel it in my belly' reasons, I going to-" Bunny stopped talking when he saw Jack.

"What happened to him?" Tooth squeaked, her voice filled with fear. North held up his hand to silence everyone.

"We don't know what happened to Jack. Rapunzel found him unconscious in his room. But I believe," He held out a hand to Rapunzel and she gave him the apple," that this had something to do with this" He held the apple up high so everyone could see.

"But it doesn't make sense." Hiccup interrupted as he was walking towards North. "How is it possible that Jack would choke after one bite of an apple when he has eaten foods that are twice as likely to choke him?" He gave each guardian a look before continuing, "Something is going on here. I don't know what but all I know is this wasn't an accident."

Silence. Suddenly, Sandy waved his arms in the air, catching everyone's attention. Three images appeared above Sandy's head, one at a time. The first image was a serpent entwined rod. The next image was a continent, Asia. And the last image was a bust of a woman. Rapunzel had no idea what Sandy meant but North was shaking his head.

"No, Sandy, I'm not going to ask for her help." Rapunzel could have sworn she heard shame in North's voice.

"North, she is the most powerful of her sisters and we don't know what happened to Jack" Bunny pointed to Jack as he spoke, "If anyone knows what happened to Jack, its going to be her." North sighed and muttered something under his breath but said,

"Very well, we'll go to her. Everyone to the sleigh." North started walking but he was stopped by Tooth.

"Oh no, North you know how much she hates the sleigh. It's best if we use a snow globe or Bunny's tunnels" When she finished she went to Jack and picked him up.

"Hang on, where's Merida?" Hiccup suddenly said. Everyone looked around them but the guardian of Summer was nowhere to be seen. Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I should have known." He placed his thumb and index fingers into his mouth and whistled. Only seconds later, Toothless appeared in front of him. He climbed onto the dragon and looked at the guardians.

"I'm going to look for her. I'll meet you guys later."

"How are you going to find us?" asked North.

"You guys are not that hard to find." Hiccup said. He leaned forward and whispered something into Toothless' ear. Toothless grunted an argeement as he turned to face to the opening in roof by the globe. "Let's go, buddy!" Toothless spread his wings and flew out the opening and disappeared in the distance.

In the meantime, North had placed the apple in a small red bag, which was tied to his belt and a snow globe, started to shake it a little and whispered something to it. He threw it on to the ground and a magic portal appeared. He turned to look at Rapunzel and the other guardians.

"Let's go" and he ran through the portal, followed by Tooth, still carrying Jack, and Sandy. Bunny stood beside the portal and looked at Rapunzel.

"Ladies, first" Rapunzel looked at him for a second and ran into the portal. She spun widely and there were bright lights flashing around her. She closed her eyes and within seconds she hit the ground, face first.

**Review, follow, favourite, pretty please with a cheery on top?**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N (Please read, it's important) Here's chapter 4! And we are going to meet a new character. I've been writing ahead a few chapter, just in case I hit writer's block, and I'm nearing the end of this story. Ideas for new fanfics have been jumping into my mind but I have no idea which to choose. If you guys could help me out, that would be wonderful. The ideas are on my profile. Enjoy. And thanks for all the reviews, you guys inspire me to keep writing.**

**Chapter #4**

_10:30 pm_

Rapunzel's head was pounding from the impact. She took a deep breath through her nose and smelled rain. She looked up and was flabbergasted by what she saw. The trees were so high she couldn't see the canopy and around her were hundreds of flowers and bushes Rapunzel had never seen before. The portal had taken her to the rainforest. There were a few birds chirping, a couple fireflies buzzing nearby, and there was a faint sound of music and a voice singing nearby. She turned to look at the guardians, who were standing in front of a small lake with a wooden shack on the opposite side.

"Let's go" North said sternly and started to walk around the lake towards the shack, Rapunzel following closely behind him, the rest of the guardians making up the rear. As they approached the shack, the music and singing became louder and louder. Rapunzel could vaguely figure out what was being sung.

_I see the magic all around_

_Shining down on me_

_With you my life would be so right_

_If only it could be_

_Maybe this world is a mystery to me_

_Maybe this world is a mystery to me  
But if you could be here for eternity_

The music became louder as they approached the shack

_A moment is all I am searching for_

_Just a moment in love with you_

_A moment so special so beautiful _

_In a moment my wish comes true_

Rapunzel stopped listening as she entered the shack. What was a little wooden shack on the outside was a beautiful, large palace made of marble on the inside. Right now, she and the guardians were standing in a dimly lit marble hallway with two staircases, on the left another on the right, that were located a few meters ahead of them. Suddenly out of nowhere, three gigantic animals appeared from the staircases and the hallway, roaring at them loudly. Rapunzel screamed when the animals roared. One was a tiger, another a male lion, and the other was a panther. The big cats kept roaring and slowly approached the guardians, looking at them like they were dinner. Suddenly, a voice appeared, yelling over the roars of the animals.

"Raja! Simba! Bagheera! Pīchē! Pīchē! (Back! Back!)" a woman appeared behind the animals as she spoke, pointing towards the stairs. The animals stopped roaring and retreated up the stairs and the woman looked at the shocked guardians.

"Sorry about that." the woman said, her voice calm, soothing, and as smooth as silk. Rapunzel noticed she was speaking with an accent but which one she couldn't make out. Rapunzel looked at the woman. She looked like she was in her late-30's, tall with an hourglass shaped body, tanned skin, green eyes, and a mass of black curls, similar to Merida's but not as wild. She was wearing a green, knee length skirt made of silk, with golden embroidery of flowers and plants, a backless choli, which was also green with gold embroidery, a crown of laurel leaves, and, just like Jack, was walking barefoot.

"Perhaps you should feed them more." North replied.

"They smelled the presence of another animal." Rapunzel turned around and looked at Bunny, who seemed a bit surprised and shocked. Rapunzel stifled a laugh and turned her attention back at the woman, who was staring at her.

"I see you have a new member, North." The woman turned her gaze to North, her arms crossed, "No introductions?" North turned slightly red at that remark.

"Oh, sorry," He cleared his throat, "Paro, this," he motioned his hand to Rapunzel, "is Rapunzel. The Guardian of Spring and Creativity. Rapunzel," he motioned his hand now to the woman, "this is Paro, Guardian of Nature and Asia's Spirit of Healing." Rapunzel extended her hand for a handshake but instead of return the gesture, Paro placed her left hand on her right shoulder and bowed her head. Rapunzel was a little confused by that gesture but she ignored her confusion.

"Its not everyday that the guardians of Childhood walk through my doors, so it must be something important." No one said anything. Tooth flew forward and showed Paro the unconscious Jack. Paro looked at Jack, then at North and back at Jack, a look of hate and slight disgust appearing on her face.

"I'm sorry. I can't help you" Paro said sternly, turned on her heels and walked done the hallway, taking left at the end. The guardians just stood there, no one saying anything.

"Paro! Wait" Rapunzel yelled as she ran down the hallway after Paro. She turned left, went down a flight of stairs and enter a very large, circular room. Rapunzel took a quick look around the room. The walls were decorated with art from various Asian countries. Right in the middle of the room was a fire blazing, with large red pillow surrounding it. On the left side of the room was a table filled with food, most of it was fruit. There were three couches surrounding the table, which reminded Rapunzel of a Roman dinner party. There was a closed door behind the couches. On the opposite side of the room, from where Rapunzel was standing, were two open doors. One led outside to a garden, the other led to a large balcony. And to the right of the room was Paro, her back turned to Rapunzel, playing the harp. Rapunzel listened for a brief second and recognized the song she had heard when she entered the shack. Rapunzel slowly approached Paro, who was completely ignoring her presence, focusing more on the music. Rapunzel cleared her throat.

"What do you want?" Paro in an almost angry voice, she kept playing.

"Why won't you help us? We've done nothing to you." Paro suddenly stopped playing and stood up, looking at Rapunzel, her eyes flaming with anger.

"Done nothing!?" Paro's voice was filled with anger but she wasn't screaming. She leaned lower so her face was at the same level as Rapunzel's," You want to know why I won't help you?" Rapunzel nodded. Paro stood up straight, her hands on her hips, " Three reasons, kid. One, Jack is a winter spirit. He destroys what my mother and I create. Two," she walked to the other side of the room and grabbed something of the table of food and plopped in her mouth, "I promised myself I would never _ever _associate myself with the Guardians again," She said as she walked back to Rapunzel.

"Why?"

"That's none of you're business!" Paro snapped, pointing her finger at Rapunzel. "And lastly," Paro sighed, her anger disappearing from her face, "even if I wanted to help, I can't. My healing powers were taking from me 600 years ago. The only thing I can heal are minor wounds but bring back people from the dead? That's beyond me." Paro walked past Rapunzel. "I'm sorry I can't help" She sat down on one of the pillows by the fire, rubbing her hands on her face. Tears formed in Rapunzel's eyes but she pushed them back and walked to Paro.

"Can't you at least figure out what happened to him." Tears began to roll down her cheeks, "It's my fault that this happened to him! It's all my fault." Paro looked up at Rapunzel, her face filled with a mix of confusion and realization. Sighing, Paro stood up.

"Fine, I'll take a look at him." Rapunzel felt a surge of happiness go through her and she threw her arms around Paro. Paro got a little scared by the sudden hug and awkwardly but gently pushed Rapunzel away. "Okay, here's what I need you to do. Rapunzel was it?" Rapunzel nodded and Paro continued, "I need you to get the other Guardians and move one of those couches," she pointed to the couches by the table," and move it closer to the fire, so I have better light. Tell them to place Jack on the couch. I have to talk to somebody first, so it might take a while. If I'm not back after you've done what I asked, fell free to take some food or take a rest."

With that she walked away and entered the door behind the table of food. Rapunzel ran back to the Guardians, who were talking to each other about how to convince Paro to help them. When Rapunzel had told the Guardians what Paro told her, all of them walked to the large room. After Jack was laid down, Rapunzel though she heard an argument, coming from the garden. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Rapunzel left the large room and enter the garden. It was very large and was filled with more flowers and plants than Rapunzel could count. There were blue and white sparkles floating around in the air, giving the garden a magical feel. The argument had gotten louder when Rapunzel went outside. Rapunzel followed the voices, which led her down a wide path strewn with newly bloomed flowers. Rapunzel kept walking until she reached a small lake with a waterfall on the right bank. And standing right in front of the waterfall, on the water, was Paro, who seemed to be talking to the waterfall. Rapunzel ducked behind a large bush but was still able to see Paro. In the waterfall was a shape of a woman. She looked almost the exact same as Paro but the woman was a bit taller, her hair straight and longer with streaks of gray, and her skin was pale. Rapunzel sat, listened and watched closely as the argument escalated.

**And that was chapter 4. The song that Paro sang is called "My Wish Comes True" from the movie **_**Kisna. **_**The language that Paro spoke to the big cats was Hindi. I tried to use the symbols but the word document kept messing it up, so I used the words. Note: I don't speak Hindi at all, so if I did it wrong (even though it's only one word) let me know and I'll fix it. Review, favourite, follow.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5! Woooooo! Gonna be answering some questions in this chapter and probably create even more. (Probably) Quick note: New fan fiction ideas are still on my profile but I added plot summaries. If your one of the people that read the ideas but not the summaries, please read them. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer (Is it really necessary): Don't own the characters, except Paro. Picture isn't mine either.**

**Chapter #5**

_11:00 pm_

"I suffered 600 years of isolation!" Paro yelled at the woman, "Isn't that punishment enough?!" The woman stepped out of the waterfall, causing Paro to take a step back. She looked at Paro with great anger.

"No!" The woman pointed at Paro, "You broke the oath. Now you must pay the price!"

"Fine! Fine! If you say I broke the oath then I broke the oath! But it's been 600 years since you took my powers. Can't I at least have some of it back!?"

"NO! You will never have that power back! Not only did you broke the oath but you broke it by breaking the most important vow, chastity!"

"I am still pure of body, mother-ji but you refused to listen to me when I tried to explain and to this day you still refuse to listen! Why won't you listen to me!?"

"SILENCE! I will no longer listen to this nonsense!" The woman turned her back towards Paro, her arms crossed, while Paro grunted in frustration.

"Can't I have it back for a day?" Paro bowed her head, "That's all I need, mother-ji. A day." The woman turned around and looked at Paro and sighed

"Why do you insist so much? How do I know that, if I return your powers, you will not use it to redeem yourself or make yourself look younger or try to win your favours back with those dogs that call themselves the Guardians of Childhood." Paro just looked at the woman.

"How did you know they are here?"

"You may be the Guardian of Nature, Paro, and you may have acquired a great deal of my power over the years but the plants still speak to me and they tell me everything. I know they're in there, why they are here and I will not give you what you ask for because I don't want you to help those dogs!"

"I'm not doing this for myself or for the guardians of Childhood! There's one reason I am doing this! I'm doing it for Rapunzel!"

"That little amateur that calls herself the Guardian of Spring? Why would you want to help her? Give me a good reason and I'll give you what you asked for." Rapunzel felt a little insulted by the woman's words but she ignored it and kept watching. Paro was silent for a moment. Sighing, she replied.

"I'm helping her because…. she's in love with the boy. I looked at her and I saw myself, the way I was 600 years ago. She's in love with him, mother-ji and I don't want to take that away from her. Love is the greatest gift that can be bestowed on anyone. You denied me love and the pain I felt would killed if you hadn't forced me here. I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone, not even my worst enemies." Paro sighed and looked at the woman, "Is that reason good enough!?"

They stood there in silence for a moment. The silence was broken by the sigh of defeat from the woman.

"Very well. You can have it back" She placed her hand over Paro and said something in a language Rapunzel didn't understand. A blinding light surrounded Paro and when it was gone, Rapunzel was sure Paro looked at least 10 years younger.

"Thank you, mother-ji" Paro said as she bowed to the woman.

"You have this power for a day, Paro. When the clock strikes this minute tomorrow, you will be back to your former self. Use this power wisely. If I discover that you lied, I will confiscate this power, I'll take back your powers of Nature and you'll spent the rest of your life as a mortal." With that the woman walked away from Paro and stepped on a nearby piece of land. She crouched down and touch the ground with her index finger. As she straightened herself, a light began to shine under her. She gave Paro one last look and the light surrounded her. The light retreated back into the Earth and the woman was gone.

When the woman had disappeared, Paro turned and walked back to the palace, in Rapunzel's direction. Rapunzel hid quickly and held her breath as Paro walked by her. A few meters later, Paro stopped walking and sighed.

"How much of that did you hear?" She didn't turn around as Rapunzel emerged from her hiding place.

"Everything from the isolation part."

"And now I suppose, you have some questions you want me to answer." Rapunzel nodded. Paro looked over her shoulder at Rapunzel. "Alright you can ask but I can't promise you I will answer them." Rapunzel nodded again and Paro motioned to her to follow. As they walked back, Rapunzel noticed that plants and flowers started to grow wherever Paro stepped.

"She must be a very powerful guardian" Rapunzel thought.

"So, what do you want to know?" Paro kept walking and didn't look back at Rapunzel.

"Who was that woman you were talking to? And what do the Spirits of Healing do?"

"My mother, Seraphina. But I suspect you would know her as Gaia or Mother Nature. She's the one that taught me everything I know. Everything. Healing, how to balance Nature, how to create it and protect it, you name it." The palace became visible in the distance. "The combined power of the Spirits of Healing keep deadly diseases from spreading and destroying the human race. When I lost my power, many deadly epidemics have occurred. The Black Death and the Spanish Influenza being a few. The Spirits can decide who gets sick and whether they live or die. We also help humans advance in the art of medicine and in the world of the Guardians, we cure spells and curses."

"Ok, another question. How can I be the Guardian of Spring, when you are the Guardian of Nature and your mom Mother Nature?"

"My mother is as old as the Earth itself. Over time, her powers began to weaken. The Man in the Moon and Sister Sun convinced her to pass on part of her powers to someone and she choose me. She created nature and I protected it," They entered the palace and saw that all the guardians had fallen asleep and Jack still lying peacefully on the couch by the fire. Rapunzel noticed that Sandy wasn't there at all.

"Probably left to spread dreams" thought Rapunzel

"Then the Man in the Moon and Sister Sun decided that I was too inexperienced and that it was too much responsibility to protect nature and all the seasons on my own, so Man in the Moon created the Guardians of the Seasons. And ever since my mother has had a great grudge at him."

Paro sat down on a stool, which she conjured out of thin air, and shuffled closer to Jack. She looked at Rapunzel.

"You should get some sleep. This is going to take some time." Paro had hoped that Rapunzel would go to sleep but she shook her head.

"No, I still have questions."

"Alright a few more but I will be checking Jack." Paro turned her attention to Jack and started to examine him. Feeling for a pulse, checking for breathing and feeling his forehead. Rapunzel sat down on her knees.

"Your mother said you broke an oath. Which oath did you break? And if you're Asia's healing spirit then why do you live in the rainforest?" Paro gave Rapunzel a quick glance before checking Jack's Adam's apple and feeling around his throat and neck.

"The oath my mother was talking about was the oath I had to take in order to become a Spirit of Healing. Similar to the oath you took to become a Guardian. The most important part of the oath is the vow of chastity. We have to be pure of body, mind and soul. And one day, my mother saw me kissing a man and she thought I lost my body purity and confiscated my powers. She still hasn't forgiven me. And I live in the rainforest for two reasons. One, my mother forced me to live here. Two, I'm the guardian of Nature and what better place to live than the spot on Earth that houses the most plants and needs the most protecting" Paro stopped feeling Jack's throat and frowned her forehead, "Odd."

"What's odd?"

"I can find nothing wrong with him. His color is good and his throat is clear of any blockades. Was there anything with him when you found him? Food, maybe?"

Rapunzel then remember the apple. She ran to North and took the red bag from his belt. She ran back and gave it Paro, who opened it and took the apple out. She examined it for a moment before saying anything.

"How long ago was this bite taken?" She pointed at the bite, her face serious with a slight trace of fear.

"About an hour ago, I think. Why?"

"In a normal apple, the bite would have dried out and turned brown by now. This bite hasn't." She put the apple back into the pouch. She placed her hands on empty spots on the couch and a light shone under her hands. When she removed her hands, there was a small glass vial and a knife. Paro handed the vial to Rapunzel, who looked at it confusingly. Paro grabbed the knife, took Jack's hand, and she cut into his palm. A small cut but deep. Red blood started to rush out and Paro quickly motioned to Rapunzel to give her the vial. Paro took the vial and held it to the wound until it was full. She closed the vial and waved her hand over the wound. Rapunzel saw some form of energy pulse from Paro's hand. When she removed her hand, the wound was gone without trace, not even a scar was visible. Paro stood up and looked at Rapunzel.

"Stay with Jack and get some sleep. This is going to take an hour at least." Paro took the vial and the bag and walked to the door behind the couches and disappeared, without saying another word. Rapunzel looked in her direction for a while but then kneeled down besides Jack, held onto his hand, and quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

_12:55 am_

"Rapunzel? Wake up." said a voice gently. Rapunzel felt something nudge her and slowly she opened her eyes. She saw Bunny looking at her.

"You have to wake up, Rapunzel. Paro wants to talk to us." Bunny motioned to the opposite side of the room. Rapunzel saw a large table surrounded by chairs and the guardians taking seats in them, Paro at the head of the table with a large book in front of her. Rapunzel reluctantly let go of Jack's hand, rubbed her eyes, yawned a little and sat down in a chair next to Paro's. When everyone was seated, Paro stood up.

"I was able to find out what happened to Jack," there was a sigh of relief from all the guardians. Paro held up her hand to silence everyone," I have not said all. I have good news and bad news. The good news, Jack isn't dead." The guardians would have jumped up and cheered but they were all so tired that none of them moved a muscle. Rapunzel felt a wave of happiness and relief wash over her but that disappeared when Paro delivered the bad news

"The bad news, however, is," Paro looked down slightly and gulped, "he will be soon."

**More cliffhangers! Review, favourite, follow pretty please with a cherry on top?**


	7. Chapter 6

**Definitely**** not my best chapter but what can you do?**

Chapter #6

_1:00 am_

Silence. Nobody said anything; too shocked to do anything.

"Jack's been cursed with Sleeping Death." Paro said, breaking the silence temporary before it continued for another few minutes.

"W-what's Sleeping Death?" Rapunzel managed to say after a while, her voice barely a whisper. Paro sighed and sat down, burying her hands in her face. After a while, she removed her hands and replied.

"It's a very, very powerful curse. Among the most powerful in the world; only a few can conjure it. In basic terms, Sleeping Death is a very deep sleep. It's so deep that it makes the individual who is affected seem dead." She pointed at Jack.

"But if Jack is just sleeping," North asked, "Why can't we wake him up?"

"When someone is affected with Sleeping death, their body stops. Most of the organs will stop functioning. The heart and brain will keep working normally but the curse covers up the heartbeat and any signs of life. That's why none of you could find a pulse." Paro gave Rapunzel and North a quick look before continuing," But not just the organs stop working, the senses stop too."

"The senses?" Tooth asked.

"Hear, see, taste, touch, and smell. If I was shouting in Jack's ear, he wouldn't hear me. If I was rubbing smelling salts under his nose, he wouldn't smell it. If I was punching him in the stomach, he wouldn't feel it. If-" Paro was cut off by Bunny

"Ok. We get the point but you said that Jack would be dead soon. Why?" Paro stood up and started walking around the table.

"Every curse has a time limit. This one does too. If someone was in this sleeping state for a certain amount of time, the heart and the brain will stop working and then they die."

"A certain amount of time? How long is that?" Tooth asked while Paro sat back down in her seat.

"It depends on how the curse was, for lack of a better word, 'given' to the affected individual. If it was done orally, or by saying it directly, the time limit is about 2 and a half days. If it was done by swallowing it in a liquid state, that is 1 and a half days. But through food, it's 24 hours." Rapunzel and Tooth gasped slightly and Bunny and North looked at each other in fear. "But that's not the worst part." everyone looked at Paro. "Not only does this curse have a short time limit, it's incurable. Nothing can cure this. The only thing I can do is extend the sleeping time but the plant needed for it is near impossible to find. Whoever did this must really want Jack dead." It became quiet again, everyone stunned by the news.

"But who conjured the curse and why would they do it!?" Bunny yelled suddenly, slowly approaching Paro with a boomerang in his hand.

"I don't know who conjured it or why!" Paro yelled back, backing up ever so slightly as Bunny approached her, "The only ones that can conjure this curse are: The Man in the Moon, Sister Sun, and Mother Nature!" Paro gave Bunny a stare that could kill, " But why any of them would do something like this, I don't know either," Her voice began to calm down," Man in the Moon would never try to kill the ones he's chosen, Sister Sun couldn't care less and the plants would have told me if Mother Nature did it." Paro gave a deep sigh and sat down in a nearby chair while Bunny put his boomerang away.

"S-so that's it? We just let him die!?" Rapunzel began to cry and her sobs became louder and louder by the minute. Tooth flew over to Rapunzel in an attempt to comfort her while Paro was in deep thought. A smile appeared on Paro's face and she stood up.

"There may be something I can do!" Rapunzel stopped crying and everyone looked at Paro.

"Why didn't I think of this before!? If I can find the plant, make the extender and mix it with the most powerful healing potion I can make," She said excitedly as she started pacing back and forth, " I might be able to lift the curse slightly, not entirely, but enough to get Jack's senses back. It'll give us extra time and a possibility to wake Jack up."

"So there's hope!?" Rapunzel asked and Paro nodded. Rapunzel made a squeal of happiness and wrapped her arms around Paro again but this time Paro returned the hug and smiled.

"Which plant do you need, Paro?" Tooth's voice was filled with hope, "and where can we find it?"

Paro let go of Rapunzel's hug and walked to the large book on the table, opened it, and flipped the pages, eventually stopping around the middle of the book. She turned the book around, so the others could see. There was a picture of a flower which seemed to be on fire and the writing none of the Guardians could read. Paro pointed to the picture.

"This is what we need. The Fire Flower. One of the rarest flowers you will ever find, if you can find it."

"And where can we find this flower?"

"It's a magical flower, North. Which means it'll be near impossible to find." Paro sat back down," This flower teleports itself to a new location each year and it's never in the same place twice. And to make even more complicated, it can survive anywhere. It doesn't need water, sunlight or earth. It can survive anywhere on Earth, even in places like the Sahara desert or Antarctica. And it can only be picked by someone who is as wild and uncontrollable as the flower itself."

"Merida." though Rapunzel. She looked at the other Guardians, whose look made it clear that they were all thinking the same thing.

"So how do we find it?" Bunny cut in. Paro gave Bunny an angry glance,

"I was getting to that is you'd let me. The flower gives off a pulse of energy every 2 hours but only those who were chosen by Mother Nature or those who have a connection to the Earth can feel it. Which means, "She stood up and headed for the door," I need to talk to my sisters."

She disappeared through the door and reappeared with a bowl filled with a white powder. Rapunzel looked at North with a confused look but North just shrugged. Paro placed the bowl on the table, took a handful of the powder and threw it into the fire. A cloud of white smoke appeared and hovered over the fire. Paro stood in front of the smoke with her arms spread. She placed her hands together in prayer, and said a chant that no one could understand. She then placed her hands to the smoke and slowly the figures of 5 women appeared in the smoke. Paro looked at them from left to right, saying their names as she looked at them.

"Alyssa, Fleur, Melati, Rayen, and Tajeddigt."

"What do you need us for, Paro?" asked Fleur.

"I'm looking for the Fire Flower but I can't find it on my own and I need your help to find it."

"But the Fire Flower is very hard to find, Paro. The pulse is strong, yes, but we can only feel it once every two hour and the pulse is short. It could easily take the whole day if-"

"I know, Rayen, I know! But I don't have all day. Will you help me, yes or no?"

The women looked at each other and nodded.

"We will help you, sister. We will contact you when we find it" said Tajeddigt. The women closed their eyes and the smoke disappeared.

"You should all get some more rest. This search is going to take long and I want to leave as soon as we know where the flower is."

**Really bad way to end a chapter, I know. Review, follow, favourite. Pretty please?**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter #7**

_A few minutes before 10 am_

When Rapunzel woke up, the sun was shining brightly through the open windows and doors and birds were singing. Rapunzel sat up, stretched and yawned. She had fallen asleep on one of the pillows in the front of the fire, which had gone out. She looked around her and saw that all the other guardians were still asleep and Paro was nowhere to be seen. As she stood up, Rapunzel heard flutters of wings. She turned to a window and saw three birds. A white dove, a large bird with red and gold feathers, and a small bird with two heads. The bird with the two heads flew into the room and perched itself on the bench that Jack was lying on. With an outstretched hand, Rapunzel slowly approached the bird. The bird just looked at her and when her fingers were just a few centimetres away from its two heads, the bird bit Rapunzel's fingers hard.

"Ow!" Rapunzel screamed, waving her hand in pain.

"Manjusha! Yaham! (Here!)" Paro had walked in from the garden, carrying 5 goatskin bottles. The bird flew to Paro and perched itself on her right shoulder.

"What kind of a bird is that!?" Rapunzel asked in a annoyed tone, rubbing her bitten fingers.

"A Gandaberunda." She tickled one of the heads under it's chin.

"A what?"

"A Gandaberunda," Paro chuckled, "A mythical bird from an ancient religious Hindu text, the _Vishnu Puranas_. But these little guys," she tickled the other head," are anything but what is described in the text. They are, by far, smaller but they are just as strong."

"How big are they in the text?"

"Big enough to pick up elephants" Rapunzel gulped at the thought of birds that were big enough to carry something as big and heavy as elephants.

"And the other birds?" Rapunzel asked, pointing to the other two birds, still by the window. Paro looked at the other birds, and pointed to the bird while describing it.

"The white dove is Shanti, and the bird with the red and gold feathers is Agni. He's a phoenix." Paro walked to the window, said something to the birds and they flew away into the garden. Paro turned and looked at Rapunzel, smiling brightly. "I've got very good news, Rapunzel. My sisters have been able to narrow the search of the Fire Flower to Africa. Give them a few more hours and they'll able to pinpoint an exact location."

"Africa? Is that what the bottles are for?" Paro held up the bottles and looked at them,.

"This is Africa we're talking. I-It's very warm there and it will be harder to search for the flower if we are more focused on cooling off." Paro lied.

"You're lying, Paro, I can tell. What are the bottles really for?"

"W-well, I-I…." Paro started but suddenly the fire began blazing and the white smoke appeared again. "Tajeddigt!"

"Paro, good news. The flower is located nearby Aswan, Egypt. We don't know a exact location but I would suggest that you go to Egypt now. We'll keep searching." and with that she was gone.

"Rapunzel, will you wake up the guardians? There's still a few things I need to pack." Paro disappeared through the door before Rapunzel could respond. She walked to the guardians and shook their shoulders, causing them to wake up slowly. Paro reappeared with a bag slung over her shoulder, one of the bottles tied to her waist along with a pouch.

"We are leaving soon, North. Do you have any more snow globes?" Paro asked as North got up and stretched.

"No." he replied sleepily.

"Good, means I get to show off." Paro smiled and walked over to Jack, "We should take him with us. So when the flower is picked, I can use powder from the petals to extend the time." North nodded and Tooth flew over to Jack and picked him up. Paro gave each of the guardians a look and walked to the garden. Just before she entered, she turned around,

"Follow me," and walked into the garden. The guardians followed Paro to the lake with the waterfall. Paro walked unto the water and stopped in front of the waterfall, realizing that nobody, besides Tooth, was behind her. She turned to look at the guardians who were still standing by the edge of the lake.

"The water is enchanted." Paro called, "You won't fall in." She turned to waterfall, placed her hand into the waterfall and started chanting. Slowly, the guardians made their way to the waterfall. When they finally arrived, Paro stopped chanting and a whirlpool, with a vague image of a desert in it, appeared in the waterfall. Paro walked through first, the others following. Rapunzel was the last to enter, throwing her arms in front of her head to protect it. After a few seconds, she landed on her knees in sand. She looked up and was blinded by a blazing sun. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Rapunzel stood up and looked at Paro, who turned around and said with spread arms,

"Welcome to Aswan, Egypt"

"This doesn't look like a city to me." commented Bunny while looking around him.

"I know," Paro lowered her arms, "We are, actually, a few miles west of Aswan. You can see it in the distance there." She pointed west. She was right, faintly you could see the outline of a city and the river Nile. Paro started to walk down the sandy hill they were standing on. She stopped and looked at the guardians.

"We should start searching. We have less than 12 hours before Jack's time is up."

_Around 2 pm_

Paro had felt the pulse twice already but the guardians were nowhere near finding the flower. Though with each pulse Paro said they were getting closer, Rapunzel was starting to lose hope. Sitting down in what little shade she could, she buried her head into her knees and started sniffing. A hand placed itself on Rapunzel's shoulder. She looked up and saw Paro looking at her.

"What's wrong, Rapunzel?" Paro asked as she sat down.

"We've been searching for 4 hours, Paro. I-I'm being to lose hope that we will ever find the flower."

"Rapunzel," Paro took hold of Rapunzel's hand," we will find the flower. We will. Each pulse I felt was stronger than the previous one and the next pulse will come in about 40 seconds. The stronger the pulse, the closer we are." Paro stood up and stood in silence for a while. Suddenly, she collapsed onto her knees, her hands covering her ears, and started groaning loudly. All the guardians stopped what they were doing to walked over to Paro. She stopped groaning after a few seconds. Breathing heavily, she managed to say,

"I-I know where the flower is. Jazirat al Malik. A… mile… east…"

_3:30 pm_

Another hour and a half past and still nothing. They had searched everywhere but nothing. The heat was making Rapunzel very tired. She hadn't had anything to eat since she left the palace. Though Paro had been gracious enough to share some of the water she had brought along, it hadn't helped at all. Letting out a sigh, she looked for another place to sit down for a moment. This time she was more lucky. She found a small cave that was out of the sunlight. Entering the cave, Rapunzel noticed something unusual. There was light coming for the cave and the sound of fire. Turning a corner, she gasped and ran out of the cave.

"Paro! PARO!" Rapunzel screamed while waving her arms like a maniac. Paro ran to Rapunzel

"What is it?" Completely out of breath, Rapunzel was unable to answer. Instead she pointed in the direction of the cave. Paro sprinted to cave with Rapunzel following her. Paro stopped when she turned the corner.

"You found it, Rapunzel. You found the Fire Flower."

**I have no idea why I added the bird scene at the beginning. Maybe just to show that Paro's 600 years there weren't spent in completely isolation or to give a better idea of which Asian country Paro is from, if I haven't made it obvious enough. I don't know. Quick Note: Jazirat al Malik is an actual place, it's west of Aswan Egypt. And one last thing, I have no sense of distance, so if you do look up Aswan and Jazirat al Malik don't be surprised if the distance on the map and in the story are really off. Review, follow, favourite. Please?**


	9. Chapter 8

**I forgot to mention this last chapter but my story had passed 1000 views and on Monday it passed 1500! Wow! The Fire Flower kinda looks like the flower from **_**Tangled **_**but it's not the exact same. Just wanted to make that clear. On a not-as-nice-note, I've hit writer's block with the next chapter. I know how it's going to start, how it's going to finish and what (kinda) happens in the middle but I have no idea how to put it in words. I am working as hard as I can to have it finished for Sunday but if I don't update on Sunday, please don't panic or anything like that. **

**Chapter #8**

_3:30 pm_

The flower had bright red petals and the center spewed the occasional flame, giving out an immense amount of heat. Rapunzel extended her hand to touch it but Paro slapped her hand hard

"Don't touch it! Don't you remember what I said?" Rapunzel shook her head, rubbing her hit hand. Sighing, Paro replied, "I said that only somebody who's as wild and uncontrollable as the flower can touch it and pick it. If you touch it but you're not wild or uncontrollable, the flower will do one of two things. It will either teleport itself to another location or destroy itself."

"Destroy itself? It would do that?" Rapunzel asked while looking at the flower, which released another burst of flame.

"Yes, it would. Why, I don't know but that's not our problem right now." Paro walked to the opposite side of the cave, sat down, began rummaging through her bag and took out something that looked like a watch, "Where are we going to find some one who is as wild as the flower in," she looked at the watch," less than 7 hours?" Rapunzel stood there in silence for a minute but then started to pull on a chord around her neck. Slowly a large, golden circular necklace was revealed. She took it off her neck and opened the necklace. The inside looked like a compass but instead of letters by the pointers there were symbols. Where north was supposed to be was a flower, east was a sun, south was a leaf and west was a snowflake.

"What's that?" asked Paro

"An ingenious device created by Hiccup, Guardian of Fall and Knowledge. We can contact each other with this." Rapunzel pushed the leaf button and a bluish white color appeared from the center.

"Why are you contacting?"

"The wild and uncontrollable person we are looking for is the Guardian of Summer, Merida." as Rapunzel finished speaking, a figure started appearing in the light. After a few seconds, the image became clear and there was Hiccup. "Hiccup! Have you found Merida yet?"

"You mean Miss-I-didn't-feel-like-showing-up-in-a-state-of-emergency? Yeah, I found her."

"Oi! I heard that!" someone screamed in the distance.

"Good" Hiccup replied, "Maybe you'll learn something this time."

"Hiccup, how long ago did you find Merida?" asked Rapunzel in a dead serious tone.

"About 5 hours ago."

"5 Hours! Why didn't you contact me sooner!?"

"One word, Punz. Merida." there was a grunt in the background, "When I found her, I told her she was needed at the Pole and being her usual annoying self-

"I am not annoying!" screamed Merida

"And being her annoying-self," Hiccup continued, "She refused to come, saying that we were trying to control her. Then it escalated into a fistfight and she broke my necklace and, of course, she didn't have hers with her so I spend the last 4 hours trying to fix it. I did fix it eventually but was unable to send out any calls. That's my excuse."

"Fair enough." Rapunzel replied, having calmed down a lot.

"Where are you, Rapunzel? Have you found out what happened to Jack?"

"Jack's been cursed, Hiccup. We have found a potential cure but we need Merida for it. How soon can you get here?"

"Depends on where you are."

"We are about," Rapunzel looked at Paro, who held up two fingers," two mile west of Aswan, Egypt in an area called Jazirat al Malik. How soon can you get here?"

"Egypt? That's gonna take a few hours, Punz. Not only because of distance but Toothless has been worn out greatly from non-stop flying looking for little-miss-hot-head here-" Hiccup nudged his head to the side which was quickly followed by Merida appearing in the image and slapping him on the back of his head. Looking at her, he said, "Would rather be called little miss hot head or princess?" Merida grumbled something under her breath in Gaelic and disappeared from the image. Hiccup ignored her grumbles and kept talking, "My guess is we will be able to reach Egypt within 4 to 5 hours."

"4 hours? Then get going, this curse has a time limit and it ends around 10 pm tonight!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Hiccup gave her a salute," Merida, let's go!" Hiccup's image began to disappear but the voices were still audible.

"You keep your hands off me, you little-" Merida's voice cut off and the light disappeared. Sighing and shaking her head, Rapunzel placed the necklace back around her neck.

"They sound like a married couple." Paro commented nonchalantly.

"Not even close. They don't hate each other but they just fight a lot." Rapunzel sat down beside Paro

"If I may ask, why do they fight so much?" Rapunzel shrugged her shoulders,

"No idea. Could be the old 'my season is better than your season' rivalry. Or it could the fact that Merida is a Scot and Hiccup's a Viking who both lived in a time when the Scots and the Vikings hated each other more than anything. "

"Well, that's a reason to fight but not a good reason." Paro said as she crossed her arms.

"I agree." Rapunzel replied as Tooth flew in, who was still carrying Jack.

"Sounds like Hiccup and Merida had another fight." she said, with a trace of tiredness in her voice

"No kidding" Paro replied as she stood up and walked over to Tooth, "I can take him," she motioned to Jack," you go have a rest. You've been close to carrying him all day." Tooth hesitated for a moment but then she handed Jack to Paro, placing a hand on his head like a concerned mother, then flew to a corner of the cave and soon fell into a deep sleep. Paro carried Jack like a bride but with all the sweetness and care of a mother. She sat back down next to Rapunzel, who started playing with his silvery white hair.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Paro. All of this." Paro looked at the girl and replied with a smile,

"You're welcome."

Rapunzel stopped playing with Jack's hair after a while. She took hold of his hand and leaned close to his forehead.

"I know you can't hear me," she whispered, "But I wanted to say that I'll save you. You'll wake up and then I'll tell you what I've wanted to tell you for years." Then she pressed a small kiss on his hand. She gently put it back and leant her head against the wall of the cave, the exhaustion caused by the heat finally getting to her. Then something happened, something so small that nobody could see it or even noticed it had occurred. Not even the keenest eye would have been able to see the slight twitch of his finger.

**I loved writing that scene with Merida and Hiccup. It was sooooooo much fun and a little comic relief, I guess. Again, working as hard as I can. Review, follow, favourite.**


	10. Chapter 9

**2000 views! Writing this chapter was an absolute nightmare! You'll definitely see my lack of creativity in the last paragraph. Also, I have Spring Break so I have extra time on my hands. If writing the next few chapters goes well, I **_**might **_**update on Friday as well but can't promise anything.**

**Chapter #9**

_7:30 pm_

Rapunzel woke up when a sudden chill ran through her body. She yawned quietly and blinked her eyes sleepily. In her blurred vision, she could roughly make out the cave, the flower and Jack lying about 2 meters away from her, his foot touching hers.

"That explains the chill" She thought, slightly annoyed. She looked up and saw the figure of Paro. As her vision began to focus, Rapunzel noticed something different about Paro. Her hair had thinned and had streaks of gray in it, under her eyes were small bags and small wrinkles were visible on her hands. A gasp of pain came from Paro and her hand grabbed her wrist, stretching her fingers in agony. She undid the pouch around her waist, reached into it and took out a handful of something that looked like dirt. Playing with it in her hand, some of Paro's gray hair disappeared as well as a few wrinkles. She let out a sigh of relief and opened her hand. It was empty. The greys suddenly reappeared and Paro groaned in pain again. She emptied all the contents of the pouch into her hand and played with it until everything was gone. When it was all gone, Paro had returned to her youthful self. She looked into the pouch before turning it upside down. Nothing came out,

"Should've brought more." she muttered to herself. She stuffed the pouch into her bag, stood up, and left the cave. As soon as she left, Rapunzel sat up, stunned at what she had seen.

"She's hiding something," she muttered to herself, "but what?" She stood up and walked out the cave. The sun was still shining brightly but it had begun to set. Paro, along with North and Bunny, (Tooth was still sleeping) were standing on a hill looking roughly towards the north-west. In the distance was a small black dot that was becoming bigger and bigger as it approached them.

"It's Hiccup!" called Bunny. Toothless flew over them and they heard somebody scream from the dragon,

"Aren't you forgetting someone, kangaroo?!"

"Merida" thought Rapunzel. Only Merida and Jack had the nerve to call Bunny a kangaroo but only Merida could get away with it. Toothless spiralled towards the ground and landed a few meters away from the hill. Rapunzel and the others ran towards the dragon as Hiccup helped Merida get off. Merida ran to Rapunzel and they embraced each other.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you." Rapunzel said. Merida tightened their embrace and sniffed a little

"I'm so sorry, Rapunzel. For everything."

"It's not your fault, Merida." Merida let go of the hug,

"Yes it is. I bought the apple and gave it to you. I convinced you to give it to Jack." Tears appeared in her eyes and she pulled Rapunzel in for another hug. Rapunzel felt tears coming too,

"But I decided to give it to him." Rapunzel whispered. She looked around Merida and saw Hiccup had dried blood on his lip. "Merida, what did you do to him?" Merida let go of the hug and started to play nervously with her hair,

"Yeah, I may have punched him in the jaw." Rapunzel scoffed and rolled her eyes,

"Don't you two ever stop?"

"What? I had fallen asleep after a long day of spreading summer fun then Mr. Dragon Boy woke me up, said 'You're needed at the North Pole' and tried to push me onto his pet. And you, of all people, should know that I don't like being told what to do without a good reason, so I refused. When he tried again, I gave him a 'tap' on his jaw and then it escalated into the fistfight he told you about. It wasn't until after I broke his necklace that he finally decided to tell me what was going on." Hiccup walked by the two girls and gave Merida a small punch in the shoulder. Merida started walking after him but Rapunzel stopped her.

"Not now, Merida. We have bigger problems at the moment." Merida grumbled but didn't reply. Paro walked towards the two girls with a smile on her face.

"Well, she looks uncontrollable enough and wild? Definitely." She said with a smirk. Merida wasn't quite sure how to reply to that statement.

"Um, who are you exactly?" she eventually managed to say

"Oh sorry," Paro cleared her throat and gave Merida the same bow as she did when she met Rapunzel, "I'm Paro, Guardian of Nature and Asia's Spirit of Healing." Merida gave Paro an awkward curtsy in return,

"I'm Merida, Guardian of Summer and Bravery. I'm Rapunzel's best friend."

"Pleasure." Paro replied as she straightened herself.

"So, I'm told I was needed for something or did I just fly for 4 hours for no reason?"

"No, you're needed." Paro replied, motioned to Merida to follow her and walked towards the hill. Merida looked at Rapunzel for a moment and followed Paro, with Rapunzel close on her heels. When they entered the cave, the flower spewed out the largest flame any of them had seen since their arrival,

"It's sensing Merida's presence." Paro explained. Merida wasn't focusing on the flower. Her gaze had caught the sight of Jack.

"Wow," she commented, "Hiccup wasn't kidding when he said Jack was knocked out cold."

"Of course I wasn't kidding! Would I lie to you?" Hiccup yelled from outside the cave

"Yes, you would!" Merida yelled back then she looked at Paro, "So, what do you need me for?" Paro pointed to the flower

"We need you to pick that flower."

"Couldn't you've picked it yourself?" Merida asked. Paro shook her head,

"No, I couldn't. Shortly put: the flower has a mind of its own and it wants to be picked by someone who is wild and uncontrollable. Which, in this case, is you" She motioned to Merida.

"Ok," Merida replied, looking at the flower, "So, I just pick it like I would any other flower?" Paro nodded. Merida reached out her hand towards the flower, which immediately shot more fire causing Merida to flinch slightly. She took a deep breath and quickly grabbed hold of the stem. It was followed by a blinding light that caused Rapunzel and Paro to cover their eyes. When the light disappeared, Merida was standing proudly with the flower in her hand.

"That was pretty easy." Merida commented, looking the flower in awe. Paro smiled,

"Good. Now I can get started making the extender. "She turned around towards the wall of the cave where her bag was. "Hang on, where's my bag?" She asked. Rapunzel looked around the cave. The bag was nowhere in sight but what she noticed was that the bag wasn't the only thing missing.

"The water is gone too!" Rapunzel exclaimed. The bottles had lain beside the bag but, just like the bag, they nowhere to be seen. Paro ran out of the cave,

"North! Have you seen my bag?" She called. North walked towards Paro

"No, I haven't. Why?" Paro didn't reply to the question. Instead she called as loudly as she could,

"If any of you have it, this isn't funny!" Hiccup replied first, while Bunny approached the group and Merida, Rapunzel, and Tooth (who had finally woken up) emerged from the cave,

"I'm sorry, Paro was it? Does it look like any of us has pockets large enough to hide an entire bag?" He motioned to the other before continuing, "And what was in the bag that makes this such a big deal?"

"The bag contained all the supplies needed to make the extender and the strongest healing potion I had ever made! I could've made the potion that could save Jack's life by now but now we've got to head back to the rainforest to-" Paro was cut off by a booming voice

"I have to say, this is very exciting!" The voice was male, cold and dark. They looked around each other but they could not find the source of the voice, "The Guardians of Childhood, the Seasons, and a Guardian of Nature, all in one place! I'm a little star struck!" On a hill, from the shadows, appeared a man. He was tall and dressed completely in black. He had gray skin, short black hair and amber eyes. They all recognized him immediately.

**Anybody who has seen **_**Rise of the Guardians, **_**you'll probably know who the mystery man is. Review, follow, favourite. Please? (It inspires me to keep writing and I kinda need inspiration right now)**


	11. Chapter 10

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN! Bad guy sighted! This is the longest chapter I have written so far but I have a feeling it'll be shorter than the next chapter. Maybe, I don't know. One last thing, remember when I said that North looked younger in this story than in the movie? Why he is younger is explained in this chapter, somewhat.**

**Chapter #10**

_7:45 pm_

It was Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares.

"What are _you _doing here?" Paro asked. Pitch started to walk towards the Guardians.

"I've come to pay my respects, as any respectful gentleman would."

"You are many things, Pitch," North replied pointing one of his swords at him," but a respectful gentleman isn't one of them." Merida covered her mouth trying as hard as she could not to burst out laughing. "Why are you really here?" North demanded. Pitch disappeared into the shadow and re-emerged only a few meters away

"I have to meet my end of the bargain. Lucifer does hate it when somebody doesn't do that."

"Lucifer?" Paro questioned before realization dawned on her, "You made a deal with the Devil!" Paro walked towards Pitch and stared straight into his face, despite the fact that she was much shorter, "What did he give you!? What did you promise him in return!?" Pitch smiled an evil smile

"He didn't give me much. Just an apple with a powerful curse." A small gasp escaped from Rapunzel, Merida was in complete shock and Paro just looked angry, "And in return?" Pitch continued, "The souls of the Guardians of Childhood and the Seasons." Paro grabbed the collar of Pitch's cloak.

"You're lying, Pitch!" Paro yelled into his face, "The Devil does not possess that kind of power and you can't capture someone's soul!" Pitch chuckled and disappeared into the shadow, reappearing on a hill nearby.

"Please. The only one who has been lying here is you, Paro." Rapunzel looked at Paro, who suddenly looked scared. Encouraged by her fear, Pitch kept talking, "I'm certain that Paro told you," He looked at Rapunzel, "her story about how she lost her healing power all those years ago. I'm certain she told you that she kissed a man then her beloved mother walked in. What she didn't say was who that man was and only mentioned part of her punishment. I'm not surprised that neither of them talked about it; the past can hurt so much. And since both of them are reluctant to talk about it, I'll do it for them. That mystery man was no other than your Guardian of Wonder." Rapunzel was stunned.

"North was in love with Paro?" she thought. She looked at Paro, then at North and back at Paro. Paro looked as though she was going to cry any second, "Is that true?" Rapunzel asked. Paro didn't reply; instead she nodded.

"And I'm certain," Pitch continued, "that Paro said that she just lost her healing powers for that little kiss but her original punishment was much harsher. She was stripped of all her powers and banished to Barren Island, a place without any form of life. The worst punishment to give to a Guardian of Nature. It wasn't until her darling North made some deals with Seraphina that Paro was released from the island with some of her powers. But that wasn't the only lie she's told you. The bottles she has with her, you could tell she was lying but she never gave you the truth. Here it is. The-" he did not finish.

"That's it!" Merida yelled. She grabbed her bow and notched an arrow, dropping the flower which planted itself back into the sand, "You're itching for a fight, Pitch!"

"Please, I'm in no mood for a fight since you have two powerless Guardians with you. It wouldn't half as fun." Merida pulled the string and aimed for Pitch.

"Who are you calling powerless?!" Hiccup said, joining the argument.

"Why, Paro and Rapunzel of course. Please," Pitch said, while Paro and Rapunzel looked at each other confused, "allow me to put the puzzle pieces together." He disappeared into the shadows but his voice was still clear.

"You all know who chooses the Guardians. The Man in the Moon, Sister Sun, and Mother Nature but did you know that the source of power and the effects of losing the source for the ones they chose are different. The source of power for those chosen by the moon we all know: the belief of children. The stronger the belief, the stronger the guardian becomes. If the children stop believing, the guardian will slowly become mortal again." Rapunzel knew that she wasn't powerless like Pitch had suggested. Although, unlike all the other guardians, she had very few believers and her powers were very limited, she was still useful to the Seasons. Like Jack, Rapunzel used magic to fight but she wasn't limited to one element.

"The source for those chosen by the Sun," Pitch continued, "is the sun itself. The stronger the sun's beams, the stronger they become. If they are out of the sun too long, they simply disappear but they re-spawn when the sun rises. Those chosen by Mother Mature have a huge advantage with the source. Instead of one, they have three. Earth, water, and sun. With the perfect combination of all three, the chosen ones are invincible. With just two, they are very powerful. Even with one, they are still very powerful but take away all three then they meet the worst fate of them all." There was silence for a moment. It was broken by a question from Merida,

"And you're telling us this because.…?" Pitch reappeared out of nowhere.

"Well," he started, "you're in the middle of the desert, which means no earth. You have no water," he stretched out his hand and they saw him holding the bottles of water and Paro's bag, "And the sun," he looked to the horizon and then back at the guardians, "will be going down in a few minutes. Which means, "Paro suddenly hunched over and collapsed onto her knees, clasping her stomach while streaks of gray slowly appeared in her hair and gasping for breath, "Paro will, just like a plant, wither and die." Pitch looked at Paro, "You know, maybe I'll take your soul too. It's much more valuable than the soul of the Guardian of Sp-" Pitch didn't finish as an arrow and a sword flew by him, narrowly missing him. Pitch cackled, lifted his arms and everywhere around the Guardians fearlings appeared. How many was anyone's guess but they suspected a minimum of 100.

Hiccup and Merida ran to Toothless and the three of them took to the sky, attacking from above. The rest of the Guardians scattered in each direction except North, who stayed nearby Paro to protect her from any fearlings. Bunny threw his egg bombs and boomerangs while Tooth fought from above. Rapunzel kept shooting her most powerful spells at the fearlings. They disintegrated on contact with the spells but the more Rapunzel used them, the weaker she began to feel. She took a brief glimpse at the sky and saw the golden sand of Sandy floating around.

"Finally decided to show up" Rapunzel thought just before she blasted another fearling. Something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She looked and saw Pitch heading for the cave, "Jack!" Rapunzel thought and sprinted as fast as she could in Pitch's direction. She stopped in front of him, blocking the entrance to the cave.

"I'll kill you if you touch him!" Rapunzel yelled. Pitch laughed at the comment

"Kill? Kill is a powerful word Rapunzel, especially for you. It's almost as powerful as fear and I'm sensing fear from you." He took a step towards her which made her take a small step back,

"I'm not afraid of you." Rapunzel said bravely. Pitch smirked

"Maybe not but are afraid of something. You're afraid that you won't be able to protect your friends but most of all you're afraid that Jack does not have any feelings for you." Rapunzel shuddered at the thought causing Pitch to smirk evilly, "Can you imagine after years of hiding you finally get the courage to tell him how you feel but he ends up hurting you even more than your father and brother did." Rapunzel felt anger and fear boil up in her when Pitch mentioned her father and brother and shot a spell at him, yelling at the top of her lungs. Rapunzel was smart enough to choose a spell that was mainly made of light but instead of it throwing Pitch back, he caught the spell. "Very clever," Pitch chuckled as he looked at the orb of light in his hand, "Using light against dark but sadly," He crushed the spell in his hand and turned his attention back to Rapunzel, "Not powerful enough to defeat it." He shot black sand at Rapunzel and she went flying back, her back hitting the wall of the cave hard. She fell down, groaning in pain. She looked up and saw Pitch heading towards Jack. Without a second thought, she got up, ran to Pitch and pushed him into the wall of the cave. He hit the wall hard and before he could react, Rapunzel pulled him away from the wall and kneed him in the stomach. Pitch wasn't even given time to regain his breath before Rapunzel kneed his forehead, sending him flying. He had just enough time to regain his balance and block a punch from Rapunzel. He looked at her face and smiled,

"Little innocent girl grew some backbone?" He held on tight to Rapunzel's wrist and grabbed the other when she tried it hit him again, "You remember your family don't you? You remember everything about them." Rapunzel wrung with her wrists as the memory of a knife flashed in her mind. Pitch chuckled evilly and threw Rapunzel onto the ground. "What they looked like," he leaned towards her, "What they did to y-" He never finished his sentence as Rapunzel kicked Pitch hard across his jaw; had he been mortal, she probably would have broken his jaw. Pitch stumbled back, rubbing his jaw. He looked at Rapunzel, "You just wait girl," he pointed at her, "When the clock strikes 10 and Jack is dead, you'll be first. Mark my words. You'll be first." Than he ran out of the cave which was soon followed by a blinding flash of light. Everything went quiet and Rapunzel moved to sit on her knees, panting heavily.

"Punz!" Merida ran into the cave, followed shortly by Hiccup. Merida knelt down in front of Rapunzel, "Are you alright?" Merida asked in a panicky tone. Rapunzel nodded. "You have to come, now! It's Paro! She's dying!" Rapunzel scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pounding in her head, and ran out of the cave with Merida. She took a quick glimpse at Hiccup who nodded as if to say "I'll stay with Jack." The girls ran to where Paro had collapsed. Paro was lying on her back, breathing heavily and aging slowly. North was kneeling beside her, his face fraught with worry and fear

"Paro, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything" He said ad his eyes began to water.

"Shh," Paro said in a whisper, "It's alright. I'm gonna be fine." She took a deep and staggering breath. She looked around North's ago now. "I waited 600 years, Nicholas. 600 years but you never came. Why?" Paro looked at North as a tear rolled down her cheek,

"I wanted to come," North sighed as the memories began to return," More than anything but you know why I couldn't, Paro. The three deals I made with your mother so you could leave Barren Island and have your powers returned to you."

"Three?" Paro asked, "You made two deals with my mother, not three." North moved his hand to touch Paro but he pulled back.

"No, Paro, I made three. For you to leave the island with all your powers I gave up my youth, any physical contact with you and lastly, I couldn't see you for any reason unless it was the Guardians needing your help. If I were to break any of the deals, your mother would send you back to Barren Island without any hope of leaving and you had already suffered enough because of me. After I accepted the deals, she sent you to the rainforest and me to the North Pole." North sighed, the memories fully returned. Paro was still looking at him, listening intently "I spent the next 30 years looking for you," North continued," I searched everywhere but I couldn't find you. I eventually stumbled into the garden by the palace but I had no idea you were there. I walked around the garden for a little while and then I saw you sitting by the lake. I hid behind some bushes when you turned around to leave and at that moment when I saw your face again, I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around you and tell you that I loved you but the deals suddenly sprang back into my mind and I didn't. Instead, I left with the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life. It wasn't until later I realized that leaving you was the worst mistake I ever made." Paro was silent for a while after North finished speaking,

"You came back for me?" Paro asked, her voice breaking as tears rolled down her cheeks. North nodded, a few tears escaping his eyes. Paro smiled weakly but suddenly grabbed her side and began to groan loudly.

"Paro?" North asked in horror. Paro breathed heavily and began to age faster

"I-It's been 600 years, Nicholas" Paro managed to say, "but I've n-never stopped loving you."

"And I never stopped loving you." North croaked. Paro smiled weakly and closed her eyes. At that moment, Rapunzel stepped forward, kneeled beside Paro, and crossed her wrists, a position she adopted for casting a spell.

"What are you doing?" North asked, his voice shaking. Rapunzel looked at North,

"There's a spell I've been trying to learn. It's called Sunlight; it's like a miniature sun. Pitch said that those chosen by Mother Nature have three sources: earth, water, and sun. If that's true then this spell can save her." Rapunzel explained. She closed her eyes and tried to focus but Hiccup, who was carrying Jack now, arrived and had heard what she said,

"Rapunzel, you're not powerful enough to cast that spell. If you cast it now, it could kill you." Rapunzel looked at Hiccup, her eyes slightly watered

"I know." She turned to face Paro, closed her eyes and focused with all her might. Rapunzel began to glow and her hair began to blow in a wind unfelt by the others. The longer she focused, the more dizzy and weak Rapunzel began to feel. She felt a warm liquid come out of her nose and run down her lips but ignored it.

"_Apricum!_" she yelled and held her hands up in the air. And floating in-between her hands was a small orb of yellow light. She lowered her hands and held the orb close by Paro but nothing happened. Rapunzel and North looked at each other, tears forming in North's eyes. Rapunzel bowed her head in sorrow,

"Pitch was right." she thought, "I can't protect my friends." She prepared herself to crush the spell when suddenly Paro's eyes shot open. She rapidly became young again, took several deep, gasping breaths and rolled onto her stomach, beginning to cough loudly into the sand. North looked like he could burst with happiness while Paro kept coughing a little bit longer.

"We have to get back to the palace. I have to make a new healing potion" she said weakly. She stood up, her legs wobbling, and took a step. Her legs collapsed and she fell, only to be caught by Bunny. Before she could say anything, Bunny picked her up and carried her bridal-style. Paro took a glance at Merida, "Get the flower, please." Merida sighed and played nervously with her hair,

"I got some bad news, Paro." Merida turned and pointed. Everybody looked at where Merida was pointing. Where the flower had planted itself was nothing more than a small pile of black ash. Pitch had destroyed the flower and with it their last hope of saving Jack.

**Now do you guys understand why I made North look younger? For those of you who don't because I thought it would be creepy for a guy who looks like he's 70 or older to be in love with a woman who is in her late 30's. So I made him look like he's something like 40's 50's. And wow! Rapunzel kicked some boogeyman butt! And is it just me or are Merida and Hiccup, despite the constant arguing, as inseparable as Ruffnut and Tuffnut? And the spell Rapunzel cast, the word is Latin for 'sunlight' (Very uncreative, I know) Review, follow favourite. (Or I'll send Rapunzel after you. Ok, not really)**


	12. Chapter 11

**I love Spring Break, lots of time to write! By far my favourite chapter. It was originally longer but I shortened it.**

**Chapter #11**

_8:30 pm_

They got back to the palace using Bunny's tunnels. Everyone was in a somber mood. With the flower destroyed, there was nothing anyone could do to save Jack.

"What do we do now?" Tooth asked quietly as Bunny put Paro down but held her by her arms. She sighed,

"We can do nothing more than wait out the time." Paro replied somberly, "We still have about an hour and a half left. That gives us enough time to prepare him for his journey to the next world and say our goodbyes." Paro began to cry and buried her face into Bunny's shoulder, who replied by wrapping her in a hug. As North walked to Paro to comfort her, Rapunzel ran to the lake, stopped right by the edge and screamed. After her throat became too dry to scream, she collapsed onto her knees and cried.

"It's my fault," she thought, "This is all my fault."

_9:55 pm_

Merida found Rapunzel still sitting at the edge of the lake. She walked to her friend and helped her up by the shoulders. Merida looked at her with worry as Rapunzel's eyes were red from all the crying,

"Come with me." Merida said quietly and grabbed Rapunzel's hand, slowly dragging her along. Rapunzel remained in complete silence the whole way back to the palace. Everyone was scattered around the room but they were all looking at Jack, who had been laid back down on the bench, his staff resting beside him. "Hiccup went to the Pole and got it," Merida explained when she noticed Rapunzel looking at it. Paro turned and looked at Rapunzel. Slowly she walked towards her and grabbed her hand

"If you have anything to say to Jack, I suggest you do it now." Paro said quietly. Rapunzel nodded and both Merida and Paro let go of her hands. Slowly she walked towards Jack, the tears returning to her.

"I've always cried at funerals but this one really takes the biscuit." Pitch was leaning against the wall. Rapunzel felt rage form almost immediately when she saw Pitch. She ran, grabbed one of North's swords and charged at Pitch. Pitch disappeared just before she could stab him, causing the sword to get stuck in the wall. "Not so innocent anymore, are we?" Pitch said as he re-appeared on the other side of the room

"Why are you doing this!? Why do you want to kill Jack so much?!" Rapunzel yelled with a mix of tears. Pitch smiled,

"Revenge, my dear. Revenge." He chuckled and disappeared into the shadows again. Everyone readied their weapons and looked around the room nervously, all of them expecting Pitch to attack

"Rapunzel," Paro said, "If you have anything to say to Jack, say it now. We'll keep Pitch busy."

_One minute_

Rapunzel turned, with tears in her eyes, and looked at Jack. She walked to him, knelt beside him, and took hold of his hand. She leaned closer to him and spoke in a whisper, her voice breaking with each word.

_45 seconds_

"Jack, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I did this to you. If I hadn't given you that damned apple none of this would have happened but it did. I should have been the one to eat the apple. I should have been the one who was cursed, not you. I'm so sorry."

_20 seconds_

More tears appeared but she kept talking "I remember you once asked if we were friends but you were more than a friend to me. You were so much more. Please. Please, don't leave me."

_10 seconds_

Then she said the one thing she had wanted to tell him for longer than she could remember, "I love you" She placed her hand on his cheek, leant forward and placed her rosy lips on his.

_10:00 pm_

Rapunzel stopped the kiss and burst into tears, knowing that the love of her life was gone. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and pulled her away from Jack. She looked up at Pitch, who stopped pulling her but still held her.

"As I said, my dear, you're first. " In his empty hand, a knife of black sand appeared. His lifted the knife, ready to murder her. Fear welling up in her she thought,

"Please, not like this again." She closed her eyes. Behind her Paro and Tooth were screaming, Merida yelling at the top of her lungs but no one came to help her. Rapunzel squeezed her eyes and waited for Death to take her. There was a blast of cold air, the grip on her shoulder disappeared and Pitch was screaming with angry and pain. She opened her eyes. Pitch was pinned against the wall, one of his hands trapped by a layer of ice.

"Leave… her…. alone." a voice behind her said weakly. Rapunzel turned around and there was Jack, alive. He was standing, leaning heavily on his staff, his legs slightly shaking. Rapunzel felt as though she could burst with happiness but that disappeared when there was a sound of ice breaking and Pitch roughly grabbing her by her hair.

"That's impossible! That curse has no cure!" he yelled, pulling hard on her hair. She winced and looked at Jack

"You should know by now, Pitch, I'm an impossible person," Jack looked at Rapunzel, his face filled with fear, and took a small, stumbling step forward, using the staff to hold him up, "Let her go, Pitch. Your fight is with me." Pitch smiled and threw Rapunzel to the ground. Rapunzel hit the marble hard, the impact numbing her side. Pitch laughed,

"Fight? Please Frost, you barely have the strength to stand. How will you have the strength to fight or to protect those who are precious to you?" Pitch began to walk towards Jack, the conversation fading from Rapunzel's hearing as she looked at the others. They were all pinned to the wall by Pitch's black sand with no chance of escape. Paro mouthed something to Rapunzel that looked like, "Make him lose his focus."

"Of course!" Rapunzel thought, "If can make him lose his focus somehow, the wall will disappear." She looked back at Pitch who was now standing in front of Jack. Jack said something that Rapunzel couldn't hear but Pitch's reply was a hard slap across his face causing Jack to fall to the floor hard. Rapunzel felt a wave of angry flow through her and she looked around for something she could use as a weapon. She grabbed the closest thing she could find: a fire poker with a small hook. She looked at Jack and saw him wipe his mouth; there was red on his hand. Rapunzel walked slowly towards the two, holding the fire poker like a sword as Pitch leant down, lifted Jack by his throat and held him in the air. Jack grabbed Pitch's wrist in an attempt to loosen the grip on his throat

"You have failed, Jack, to protect the children, your fellow guardians, your friends," Pitch nudged his head in Rapunzel's direction. Jack looked at Rapunzel, who was standing only a few centimetres away, and Pitch's hold on his throat tightened. The winter spirit began to gasp for breath, "even your precious Spring. And now, I can get my revenge." He lifted his knife, a smile appearing on his face. Rapunzel lifted the fire poker and with a yell, buried the hook into Pitch shoulder. Pitch screamed and let go of Jack. Rapunzel removed the hook from Pitch's shoulder and as he turned around to look at her, his eyes flaming, she hit him hard across his face like one would hit a baseball with a bat. Pitch fell to the floor about a meter away. Rapunzel dropped the poker and knelt beside Jack, who was coughing loudly due to the lack of air.

"Are you alright?" Rapunzel asked the fear in her voice could be heard clearly. He looked at her and suddenly fear shot into his face.

"LOOK OUT!" he screamed and grabbed Rapunzel, pushing both of them to the right, the sound of breaking marble echoing through the room. Rapunzel looked to see that Pitch had created his scythe, had swung at the two of them and now it was stuck in the floor where they had been only seconds ago. Pitch withdrew the scythe from the floor and was about to swung again when an arrow flew by him, missing him by less than a millimetre.

"Get back!" Merida yelled aiming another arrow at Pitch as Bunny got out his boomerangs and North his swords. Before Pitch could reply, something big and green snapped itself around his waist and dragged him into the garden. The others turned and saw Paro doing strange movement with her hand, controlling the green thing. Just before Pitch disappeared into the garden, he made the fearlings appear in the room. Paro stopped doing the movements and ran after Pitch,

"Somebody! Come with me!" Paro yelled just before she ran into the garden. Rapunzel got up to follow her but looked at Jack and suddenly became reluctant to leave. Merida and Hiccup knelt down besides Jack

"Go, Rapunzel. We'll take care of him." Hiccup said. Rapunzel looked at Jack, who nodded and mouthed "go". Rapunzel followed Paro, quickly looking over her shoulder to look at Jack one last time. Once in the garden, Rapunzel saw Paro standing by the entrance of the path, with Pitch hovering a few meters in front of her. She lifted her arms which caused white flowers to bloom. When the flowers opened, they gave off a blinding light that got rid of all shadows. She did a swift movement with her hand and thick vines grew over the entrance of the path. There was no escape for Pitch. Paro balled her fist and then relaxed her fingers. The vine released Pitch and he fell to the floor. Paro took a step forward and placed her hands in prayer. She turned and looked at Rapunzel, speaking quietly,

"I'm going to open a portal to the Underworld," she explained, "but I need to keep completely focused to keep the portal open which means you're going to have to push him in but do it quickly. I can only keep it open for so long." Rapunzel gulped but nodded. Paro nodded in return and turned her focus back to Pitch. She closed her eyes and began to chant. She spread her arms and a wind began to blow. She began to chant louder as the wind began to blow harder.

"What are you doing?!" yelled Pitch but Paro didn't respond. He started to walk towards her but Paro was lifted in to the air, her voice towering over the howl of wind. Her eyes, which had turned white, snapped open and the ground began to shake. The ground behind Pitch suddenly collapsed to reveal a deep chasm filled with fire, black smoke, and screaming.

"Now, Rapunzel! NOW!" Paro yelled. Rapunzel stepped forward, grabbed Pitch by his wrists and held him on the edge. He wrung but Rapunzel held on tight.

"You can't defeat me. " He smirked, "There will always be fear. " She looked into his amber eyes,

"I know I can't kill fear but as long as you're around, I will always fight fear! " Then she said the words she never thought she would, "May the Devil take you." and she released his wrists. Pitch screamed, desperately trying to grab hold of something. He grabbed the closest thing his hand could reach. Rapunzel fell down and screamed, digging her nails into the earth. She looked at her feet and saw Pitch clinging on to her ankle, slowly dragging her into the portal with him.

"Paro! Close it! CLOSE IT NOW! "Hiccup yelled, as he ran into the garden with Merida following close behind. Paro began to scream in pain as her power began to drain.

"I CAN'T! "She yelled amidst the pain," Pitch is in the portal and he has hold of Rapunzel!" she groaned loudly, "If I close the portal now, she'll be dragged into the Underworld with him!" She screamed even louder, her hair beginning to turn gray. Rapunzel felt Hiccup grabbing her arm, quickly followed by Merida on the other but Pitch still held on to her tight and would not let go. Then she felt two hands grabbing her by her armpits. She looked up and Jack looked back at her. Pitch shot black sand at Hiccup and Merida knocking both of them back and losing their grip of Rapunzel's arms. Jack pulled with all his might but he was slowly being dragged closer to the portal with Rapunzel. Pitch smiled seeing Jack struggle,

"Like I said, Frost, you can't even protect your precious Spring." Jack removed one of his hands and stretched it out in front of him,

"I can protect her. I can. I would do anything to see her safe. ANYTHING! I WOULD EVEN DIE FOR HER! "Jack yelled and a blast of ice came from his hand. It hit Pitch in his face. Screaming, he let go of Rapunzel's ankle and stumbled down into the darkness of the pit. As the portal began to close, the wind started to blow even harder and the trees began to fall down. Jack pulled Rapunzel close, wrapped his arms around her protectively and leaned over her to protect her head. Rapunzel squeezed her eyes shut, absolutely terrified. They heard trees falling and the wind was howling but they held on tight to each other. And suddenly it was quiet. Jack straightened out but still kept his arms around Rapunzel. The garden looked as though a tornado had gone through it. Trees lying on their sides, completely uprooted, and torn flowers were lying everywhere. Rapunzel looked around at the destruction, fear causing her body to shake.

"Shh. It's alright." Jack whispered while he rubbed her arm. Rapunzel looked at him and felt tears form in her eyes. Not tears of sadness but tears of joy. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tight as she could without killing him with tears streaming down her face. He returned the hug and for that one moment, everything was perfect but that moment ended when somebody yelled.

**Jack's alive and Pitch is defeated. How can it get any better than this? I experienced several heartmelts and fangirl attacks writing this chapter but it was all worth it. On a scale of 1 to 10 how cheesy was this chapter, with 10 being cheesy-to-the-extreme? Review, follow, favourite**


	13. Chapter 12

**This was originally part of the last chapter but I wanted a chapter that focuses more on Paro and North, so yeah here it is. Prepare for some (in the words of Donkey, **_**Shrek**_**) romantic crap. (****Its definitely not my best chapter but what the hell) Enjoy**

**Chapter #12**

"PARO!" North yelled as he ran into the garden. Rapunzel and Jack broke their hug and Rapunzel gasped at what she saw. Paro was lying on the ground in a heap. She had returned to her youthful self but was unconscious, with no signs of breathing. North collapsed onto his knees beside her, picked her up and held her in his arms, "No." he whispered, his voice choked with tears. It was the first time any of them had seen North cry. Tooth flew over to North and placed a hand on his shoulder but he shook her off. Rapunzel looked at Merida and Hiccup, the tears of sadness returning. Hiccup had Merida wrapped in a hug, his eyes watered, and Merida crying into his chest. Jack gave Rapunzel another hug as she began to cry. As they all wept, they heard a weak voice.

"Nicholas?" Rapunzel looked up, as did everyone else, to find the source of the voice. When she looked at Paro, joy washed over her. Paro was breathing, eyes slightly open and smiling weakly at North. She lifted her hand and placed it on North's cheek, her smile becoming brighter. He looked at her and held onto her hand, his tears becoming tears of joy.

"I thought I'd lost you." North managed to say through his tears.

"Don't you remember? Once together," Paro started, still smiling

"Never parted." North finished.

"Paro" said a woman's voice. Everyone looked at the entrance of the path. In front of it was Seraphina. Paro let go of North's cheek and struggled to stand up, her legs wobbling. North helped her up and supported her by holding on to her arm.

"Mother-ji, what are you doing here?" Seraphina slowly walked towards her daughter.

"I have something I would like to give to you. Something, I believe, you have earned" She stopped in front of Paro and closed her hands together in prayer. A light began to shine in-between her hands. She opened her hands and floating in the middle was a small bottle filled with an orb of white light. Seraphina lowered her hands and the bottle flew towards Paro, who took it in her hand. "Your healing powers, it's yours if you want it." Paro looked at the bottle then back at her mother.

"Why are you giving me this? I don't deserve it. I lied. The deals are broken. I betrayed the oath, my sisters, and your trust, everything that made me a Spirit of Healing and a Guardian of Nature." Paro bowed her head and held the bottle out to Seraphina. Seraphina took Paro hand and closed it. Smiling she replied,

"I'm giving you this because you were right, my dear. I didn't listen to you when you tried to explain. I did deny you love and now I see," she looked around at the others and at North, "that love really can defeat anything but I didn't realize that until a few hours ago and so I decided to give you a chance to redeem yourself."

"I redeemed myself?" Paro's head shot up, "How?"

"You did what I couldn't do in a thousand years. You send your grandfather to the place he deserves to be: the Underworld"

"My grandfather?" Paro was confused for a second before realization dawned on her, "Which means…. No" Seraphina nodded,

"Yes. Pitch Black, the king of Nightmares, is my father." There was a gasp from Tooth and murmurs coming from everyone.

"But-but that's impossible. You're as old as the Earth itself. You were born with the Earth!" Paro sputtered in disbelief. Seraphina placed her hand on Paro's cheek and shook her head slightly, tears forming in her eyes.

"I said that to protect you from that horrible truth." Paro looked down in shame

"And everything else you've told me, my birth, everything, is that all a lie too?"

"No, Paro. Everything else is all true; you were born from a flower. "Seraphina lifted Paro's head and sighed, "I've never wanted to tell you the truth about my father but now you know. No more secrets." She looked at the hand with the bottle, "It's your choice, Paro. If you want your powers back you can have it back but if you don't, you will still be welcome with me and your sisters." Seraphina smiled and gave Paro a kiss on her forehead. She looked at North, "Take care of her, Guardian of Wonder but beware, for I'll be watching." She walked back to the path as Paro and North looked at each other in disbelief and joy.

"Oh, and one last thing." Seraphina said, looking at Paro and North, "the deals are off." Seraphina blew into the palm of her hand before disappearing back into the Earth. From her palm came a white powder that flew directly into North's face. When powder hit him, a light surrounded him. When it disappeared, Paro gasped and had the brightest smile anyone had ever seen. North let go of Paro and looked at his hands. No wrinkles. He then felt his face only to discover his long white beard was gone. Instead he had a moustache and a short, pointed goatee. North had been given back his youth. He was still tall and muscular but he was leaner. His hair had become shorter and had changed back to its original dark brown. He smiled, releasing a small chuckle, and looked at Paro with tears in his eyes. He lifted his hand to touch her cheek but pulled back slightly, scared that Mother Nature might have lied. Paro could see his fear and stroked his cheek, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I love you" Paro said quietly. North smiled and with a few tears escaping, he cupped her face and they shared their first kiss in 600 years.

**Paro and North are together again, it did get better. I swear, when I was writing this I was close to crying. Review, follow, favourite.**


	14. Chapter 13

**I had updated this earlier but as soon as I did I noticed a major error so took it down to fix it. So sorry to anyone who was notified that I updated and then couldn't find the chapter. In this chapter, Rapunzel's past and how she became immortal is revealed.**

**Chapter #12**

Rapunzel was standing alone on the balcony, some chatter and music coming from inside. After the kiss, Paro had decided to take back her healing powers and, in addition to Jack being alive, decided to throw a small party to celebrate. Everyone had gotten the chance to clean themselves and received clean clothing, if they wanted it. Rapunzel had gotten a purple-pink shirt, a pair of loose jeans and Paro had put Rapunzel's long hair in a flawless braid. Sighing, she took a deep breath and took in all the smells of the rainforest then looked up at the full moon. Several women inside laughed. Paro had invited all the other Spirits of Healing to come by and Rapunzel had gotten the chance to meet them all.

There was Fleur: Spirit of Europe, Melati: Spirit of Oceania, Rayen: Spirit of South America, Tajeddigt: Spirit of Africa, and lastly there was Alyssa: Spirit of North America. All of them were really kind and all very talented. Every one of the Spirits had a great talent for singing, dancing and music and all of them had been showing off a little bit that night. She sighed again and sat down on a stone bench nearby, thinking about everything that has happened that day

"You seem….troubled." said a voice. She looked up and saw Jack standing nearby,

"Do you always need to sneak up on me like that?" Rapunzel asked, sounding annoyed. Jack laughed and sat down beside her, placing his staff on the balcony railing.

"Sorry. It's become a habit of mine." Rapunzel chuckled a little and replied,

"Fair enough." She chuckled a little bit longer before sighing and looking at her hands

"Rapunzel, are you alright?" Jack asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. A shiver went through Rapunzel's spine when Jack touched her. She looked at him and sighed,

"Just thinking about everything that has happened." She sighed and they sat there in silence for a few minutes. "Jack? Do you remember when we first met?" Rapunzel asked, breaking the silence. Jack nodded,

"Yes, I do. The Man in Moon told us of your existence and told us to go find you. Merida and Hiccup did eventually find you and brought you to the Pole. You didn't say anything for two weeks and you were terrified of everyone except Merida and Tooth." Jack looked at Rapunzel. Sighing, Rapunzel replied,

"You're right. It took me two weeks to say anything. In those two weeks, you guys began to call me 'Rapunzel' but that isn't my real name. My real name is Rebecca."

"Rebecca?" Jack asked, "That's a pretty name." Rapunzel nodded,

"Yes. A wholesome, Puritan name." Rapunzel said, spitting out the words

"Puritan?" Jack asked

"That's what I was before I became immortal," She looked at Jack, "I was a strict Puritan, living with my father and older brother. When you're a Puritan, anything from music to the word 'fun' is forbidden. Fun is considered a sin and since I was about 16, I had been asking myself 'why'. By the time I was 18, I was doing everything a Puritan shouldn't do. Whenever my family was gone, I would sing, dance, and write music, anything that was fun." Rapunzel sighed as the memories fully return to her and looked at the floor. "One night I was alone at home and I had taken out all the music I had written and a harp-like instrument that I had made myself. I was playing the instrument and was enjoying it so much that I didn't hear the door open. How could I have known that it was all a trap? My family had been suspicious for a few days and they tricked me into believing that they would be gone all night when they actually returned early to see if their suspicions were true. And they were. Next I remember I was lying alone in my room with the door locked. After a few minutes the door opened and I was held down roughly. I tried to escape but it was all in vain. I heard my father say 'May the Devil take you' and saw him lift a knife and then-" Rapunzel couldn't say anything as tears began to choke her voice. Jack was looking at her, his face filled with shock

"You were murdered by your family?" He asked in disbelief. Rapunzel nodded and lifted her shirt to show her belly. There were three large circular scars scattered on it. After a few moments, she put her shirt down and showed Jack her wrists. He grabbed her wrists gently and was shocked to see a large scar on both.

"They tried to make it look like I killed myself." Rapunzel explained, "I've never known what happened to my family after my death. Next thing I remember, I was in the forest, alone and scared. Resurrected by the Man in the Moon but unlike you Jack, I remembered everything. Shortly afterwards, Merida and Hiccup found me and I've been 'Rapunzel' ever since." Jack looked at her scars then at Rapunzel,

"Why didn't you ever tell us your real name? And why didn't you ever tell me this?" Rapunzel sniffed and tears began to roll down her cheeks,

"I never mentioned my real name because it brought back too many memories." She looked at Jack, "Memories I wish I could forget." She began to cry and Jack pulled her in for a hug. "And I never told you because I was scared that you'd be the same as my family. That you would hurt me or abandon me or worse." she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Shh" Jack whispered as he rubbed her back. Rapunzel cried for a few more minutes. When the crying subsided a little, he let go of the hug and wiped away any tears on her cheeks. "You don't have to be afraid, Rapunzel." She looked at him and he smiled a little, "Rapunzel listen carefully, I'll never hurt you. I'll never abandon you. I'll do anything to prove to you that I'm not like your family." Rapunzel sighed and couldn't help but smile

"You've already done that." Her smile became brighter and Jack looked at her, his smile becoming brighter too. Inside, Paro started playing a song on her harp. Jack stood up and held out his hand to Rapunzel. Rapunzel looked at his hand for a second but then took his hand. Jack led her to the middle of the balcony and then placed his hand on her waist. She blushed and placed her hand on his shoulder. As Paro began to sing, they started to dance, thought it was like swaying.

_Heart beats fast  
Colors and promises  
How to be brave?  
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?  
But watching you stand alone  
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

_I have died everyday waiting for you_  
_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_  
_For a thousand years_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_Time stands still_  
_Beauty in all she is_  
_I will be brave_  
_I will not let anything take away_  
_What's standing in front of me_  
_Every breath_  
_Every hour has come to this_

_One step closer_

_I have died everyday waiting for you_  
_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_  
_For a thousand years_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_And all along I believed I would find you_  
_Time has brought your heart to me_  
_I have loved you for a thousand years_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more_

Rapunzel smiled; she was enjoying every moment of this. She leant her head against Jack's chest. Jack felt a little scared when Rapunzel did that but smiled as well and leant his head against hers.

_One step closer  
One step closer_

_I have died everyday waiting for you  
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you  
For a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

And all along I believed I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more

Paro stopped singing but she kept playing a little bit longer. When the music stopped, Jack and Rapunzel kept swaying, both enjoy the moment immensely

"Jack?" Rapunzel said quietly

'Hm?" was Jack's reply. Rapunzel took a deep breath and mustered all her courage,

"I love you." Jack lifted his head and looked at her, surprise evident in his expression. Rapunzel took a slight step back, letting go of his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry" she stuttered and let go of his hand. She walked back to the bench and sat down, thinking her worst fear had come true. As a tear rolled down her left cheek, Jack sat down to her right. He placed his hand on her left cheek and turned her face to look at him. Wiping away the tear and looking into her eyes, he said

"I love you too." Before Rapunzel could reply, Jack leaned forward and kissed her. The difference in temperature created a sensation none of them had ever felt. Closing her eyes, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around Jack's neck and deepened the kiss. After a few moments, Jack broke the kiss and looked at Rapunzel. Both of them smiled and Rapunzel, tears of joy forming in her eyes, gave Jack a tight hug. Jack wrapped one arm around her and with his other he grabbed a white rose that was lying nearby. "Rapunzel?" Jack asked quietly. Rapunzel let go of the hug and Jack showed her the flower. With a small gasp, Rapunzel took the flower and looked at it with wide eyes.

"It's beautiful." Rapunzel replied. Jack looked at Rapunzel for a second then at the flower. He gently took it from her and placed it in her hair by her ear

"There. Now you look beautiful." Jack smiled and Rapunzel blushed slightly

"I thought you said you didn't like flowers." Jack shrugged his shoulders

"With you, I'll make an exception." Rapunzel blushed even more and placed a kiss on Jack's cheek. They sat there looking at each other for a few minutes before the silence was broken by a scream and laughter coming from the garden. Jack and Rapunzel looked over the balcony's railing and saw Merida and Hiccup by the lake, splashing water at each other, having the time of their lives.

"Having fun without me?" Jack muttered to himself. He stood up, grabbed his staff and motioned to Rapunzel to stand up. When she did, he wrapped his arm around her waist and they both flew down into the garden. They hid behind some bushes that gave them the perfect view of Merida and Hiccup. They were standing on the lake, close by the edge, throwing water at each other, Merida soaked to the bone and out of breath from laughing. She turned to walk back onto dry land when Hiccup suddenly grabbed her around the waist from behind and lifted her into the air. Merida screamed and laughed even more whilst kicking her legs wildly. Hiccup put her down, keeping his arms around her, and Merida turned around to look at him, unknowingly placing her hands on his chest. Merida's smile disappeared slowly and was replaced by a look Rapunzel had never seen before in Merida. Hiccup stared at Merida for a moment then leaned his head closer to hers, closing his eyes. Merida closed her eyes to and then…

SPLAT! Something white hit Merida on the side of her head. Rapunzel looked at Jack who was chuckling and had a snowball in his hand, which he threw towards the two. It hit Hiccup on the side of his head.

"FROST!" Merida yelled and ran towards the bushes. Fear jumped into Jack's face as he saw the charging Scot,

"Oh boy!" He said as he scrambled up and ran, followed closely by Merida. Rapunzel emerged from her hiding spot and looked at Hiccup. Only seconds later they heard a crash, some branches breaking and Jack letting out a scream of pain. Shaking her head, Rapunzel walked towards the sound of Jack and Merida struggling, followed by Hiccup. Merida had pinned Jack to the ground on his belly with his arms on his back.

"Now what do you say?" Merida asked in a teasing singsong voice.

"You're short-tempered and very annoying." Jack replied in a muffle.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Merida said sarcastically. She pushed Jack harder onto the ground, "But what do we really say?"

"Fine," Jack grumbled, "Your season is better than mine." As soon as Jack said that, Merida let him go. Jack stood up and stretched his arms, groaning a little. "Do you always have to be so rough?" Jack asked annoyingly while rubbing one of his shoulders. Merida nodded.

"Merida?" Rapunzel said in singsong

"What?" Merida asked with a slight grin on her face.

"How well can you survive 5 months without dessert?" Merida had a confused look at first but then her jaw dropped open as she looked at Jack, then Rapunzel and back at Jack. Seeing Merida's expression caused everyone to burst out laughing and after a few seconds, Merida laughed along with them.

**Did I just ruin a moment between Hiccup and Merida? Yes. Am I hinting some Mericup? *Whistles like nothing is going on*. How did I do with Jack and Rapunzel's first kiss? Please let me know 'cause I had a hard time writing it. The song Paro sang is called "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. I chose it because the lyrics suit Jack and Rapunzel **_**almost**_** perfectly. This is NOT the last chapter. There's an epilogue. Review, favourite, follow.**


	15. Epilogue

**Here is the last chapter, very short but sooooooo important. I updated early because I was in a very bad mood yesterday and updating usually cheers me up a little and I didn't feel like waiting until Sunday to update, so here it is. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Epilogue**

"Let's get this over with, Lucifer." Pitch said in a nonchalant tone. He was on sitting on his knees with his arms spread out. He bowed his head and expected his soul to be dragged out of his body and then to be dragged into the fires of Hell at any moment.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen." a voice said but it was not Lucifer's voice. Pitch looked up, lowering his arms, and out of nowhere, a tall light walked towards Pitch and from the light appeared a woman. She was made completely made out of gold. Her hair, her eyes, even her clothing was made of gold. The only thing that wasn't gold was her skin; it had a yellow color.

"Eloise?" Pitch asked in disbelief and Eloise replied with a nod. Pitch stood up and walked to the woman and giving her a tight hug, even thought he knew it would weaken him greatly. Eloise returned the hug, her head leaning on his chest, and they stood there for a while, in silence. Pitch broke the hug and placed his hands on the sides of Eloise's head, "What are you doing here?" Eloise smiled, looking into his amber eyes and taking hold of his wrists,

"Surprised to see me?" Eloise asked quietly. Pitch nodded,

"In this place yes."

"Yes, I'm a little surprised too but this is one of the few places where Seraphina's and Tsar Lunar's gaze cannot reach." Eloise smiled a little, "So, here you are. Defeated once again by the Guardians." Pitch lowered his hands and took a small step back.

"Have you come here to mock me?" Pitch asked nonchalantly. Eloise chuckled,

"Of course not. Why would I mock you?" Eloise said as she stroked his cheek. Pitch took hold of her hand and smiled but as soon as another voice spoke, they let go of each other.

"Then what do you want, Eloise? If you have no business here, leave!" Lucifer's voice boomed. Eloise took a step away from Pitch and rolled her eyes,

"Always been the polite one, Lucifer," Eloise said not bothering to hide the sarcasm. "And I think you know why I'm here. We all want something; something that involves the Guardians of Childhood and the Seasons. You," Eloise pointed at Pitch, "want revenge for what they did to you. And you, Lucifer, want their souls. Whereas I want their creators destroyed."

"What are you suggesting?" Lucifer asked

"On our own," Eloise explained, "We can never achieve this but together we can. You boys interested?" There was a minute of silence before both men said,

"Yes."

**And with that, I am pleased to announce a sequel to this story. I'll be writing it alongside another fanfiction [Which revolves around Mericup (for any shippers out there)] so I can't promise I'll be updating it on a regular basis like I did with this story. Thanks to anyone who reviewed, followed and/or favourite this story. I really appreciate it. See you guys with the next story!**

**EDIT: Sequel is posted. It's called _Revenge_ and it's in the HTTYD/Brave crossover**

**PS: Kudos to anyone who can guess who Eloise is.**

**PPS: How did I do for my first fanfiction?**


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